Customs raids target €145m cigarette manufacturing ring

A cross-Border raid on properties connected to an organised smuggling outfit has resulted in the seizure of a tobacco processing plant, millions of cigarettes and a sizeable quantity of cash.

The raid on the estimated €145 million operation was carried out on Tuesday morning and was jointly conducted by the Revenue's Customs Service and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, with the support of gardaí and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Three premises in Co Louth and two in south Dublin were searched with the assistance of tobacco and cash detection dogs, leading to the recovery of 334,000 branded cigarettes with a retail value of €167,000, including a potential tax gain of just over €100,000. A Ford Transit van was also seized.

Cash recovered

In counties Down, Tyrone and Armagh, officials carried out nine searches leading to the discovery and seizure of a tobacco processing plant, two million cigarettes, 12 tonnes of tobacco and £50,000 (€66,000) in cash.

Five people were arrested in Northern Ireland and were questioned in relation to the seizures.

“These seizures are part of Revenue and HMRC’s ongoing investigations into an organised crime gang involved in cross border cigarette smuggling and the evasion of excise duties,” said the Revenue.

Investigations are continuing in both jurisdictions and internationally, it said.

Additional reporting: Agencies