Customs officers in Northern Ireland uncovered smuggled cigarettes worth an estimated Stg1.5 million
during a weekend search of a cargo ship in Northern Ireland.
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 Holland.
A customs spokesman said the discovery on the Antigua and Barbuda registered cargo vessel, Emma, was the latest success in a crackdown on tobacco smuggling through Northern Ireland's ports and airports.
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Between 70 and 80% of illicit cigarettes are smuggled in freight and can originate from China, the Middle East, the Balkans, former Soviet Union states and Africa.
PA