Smuggled cigarettes seized from cargo ship in Co Waterford

A large quantity of cigarettes and pipe tobacco were seized off a cargo ship in Co Waterford as they were being smuggled into the State .

Revenue customs officials discovered 58,000 cigarettes and 1.45kg of loose pipe tobacco during a search operation.

The cigarettes and tobacco were on board a cargo ship which had travelled to Ireland from Ceuta, in Spain. The vessel was registered in Panama, and was stopped and searched as it docked in Belview Port, Co Waterford.

Customs officers questioned a Syrian male in his 30s in relation to the seizure.

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The products had an estimated retail value of more than €35,100, which Revenue said would have represented a potential loss to the Exchequer of €27,700.

The seized tobacco products included brands such as US produced cigarettes L&M, ASSOS products from Greece, and NAKHLA, which is an Egyptian brand.

In a statement, a Revenue spokeswoman said “this seizure was part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products.”