Customs officers in Northern Ireland uncovered smuggled cigarettes worth an estimated £1.5 million during a weekend search of a cargo ship, it emerged yesterday.
The haul of 8.5 million illegal cigarettes was made in Warrenpoint, Co Down, on Saturday during a routine inspection of a vessel which had come from Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
A customs spokesman said the discovery on the Antigua and Barbuda-registered cargo vessel, Emma, was the latest success in a crackdown on the smuggling of tobacco through Northern Ireland's ports and airports.
According to customs, between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of illicit cigarettes are smuggled in freight and can originate from China, the Middle East, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union states and Africa.
The penalties for tobacco-smuggling include the seizure of all goods and vehicles used and heavy fines.
Retailers selling on smuggled tobacco can lose their lottery terminals and/or their liquor licences and could face up to seven years in prison.