Attempted smuggling of 500 litres of wine from France stopped by Revenue

Three men arrested in connection to drugs found in Portlaoise

Two vehicles arriving in Ireland from France were found to be smuggling 500 litres of wine when stopped and searched by Revenue officials.

The wine, as well as six litres of spirits with a combined retail value of €7,260, were seized by officers conducting vehicle inspections at Dublin Port last Thursday.

The goods represented a potential loss to the exchequer of €3,600.

A separate intelligence-led operation on the same day saw Revenue officers seize a package containing a kilo of herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of €20,000 during searches of two properties in the Portlaoise area.

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The operation was conducted alongside the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and the Divisional Drugs Unit in Portlaoise.

A 23-year-old Irish man, a 22-year-old Lithuanian man and a 20-year-old Polish man were arrested.

“These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting drug importations and the supply and sale of illicit alcohol products in the shadow economy,” Revenue said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times