Customs officers have seized nearly 4,000 litres of pure alcohol at Dublin Port, which they said had the potential to create some 20,000 litres of counterfeit spirit worth €570,000.
The alcohol was packed in 800 five-litre drums and was described as ‘car wash’. The load had been consigned to a fictitious business address in Co Louth, a statement from Revenue said.
It was in a consignment which originated in Bulgaria arrived in a container on the ferry from Holyhead yesterday.
The potential loss of revenue to the Exchequer was €350,000, Revenue said.
“In addition to the potential loss of revenue and the threat to legitimate trade, this product could have posed a serious health risk to the consumer because of unknown quality control in the manufacturing process,” a spokesman said.
He said investigations were continuing.