A 54-year-old woman was stopped by Customs officials as she attempted to smuggle cigarettes valued at €50,000 through Rosslare.
Customs officials discovered the haul in the rear of the woman's Ford Kia people carrier beside her one-year-old grandson.
A search of the woman's vehicle took place as she disembarked from the Irish Ferries vessel the Normandy shortly after it arrived in Rosslare at 11.30am on Monday.
Officials stopped the car after examining the ship's manifest and observing the passengers.
According to sources, the rented Kia contained 119,400 cigarettes as well as 50kg (110lbs) of tobacco covered in plastic.
The woman had removed two of the rear seats of the Kia to make room for the contraband cargo.
Officials confirmed the woman was returning from a trip to France in the company of her daughter-in-law and one-year-old grandson.
The consignment was bound for Manchester.
The woman and her 20-year-old daughter-in-law were both held for a number of hours at Rosslare before being released later in the day.
The contraband tobacco products will remain in Rosslare until later this week, when they will be transported to Dublin and destroyed.
A Customs official said it appeared the woman had been using her family in an effort to make the trip look legitimate.