Revenue seizure worth over €7 million combined in Athlone, Dublin, and Cork

Emily Sheehan

Revenue officers have seized contraband worth over €7 million during numerous, yet unrelated, operations in Athlone, Dublin and Cork.

These discoveries were made as a result of risk profiling procedures, and the seizures included 3.42 million cigarettes at the Port of Cork, with an estimated value of €2.9 million, and 194.5 kgs of herbal cannabis at Dublin Port, with an estimated value of almost €3.9 million.

With the assistance of detector dog Rua, the illicit cigarettes were detected when Revenue officers stopped and searched an unaccompanied trailer which had arrived from Zeebrugge, Belgium.

The cigarettes posed a potential loss to the Exchequer of €2.25 million, and a man in his 20s was questioned in relation to the seizure.

The herbal cannabis was detected, with the assistance of Revenue's mobile x-ray scanner, through the examination of a trailer that had arrived from Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The drugs were concealed in vacuum-packed packages in a consignment of suitcases.

In addition to these discoveries, when examining parcels at premises in Athlone and Dublin, Revenue Officers found almost 10.4 kgs of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €207,000, various quantities of other illicit drugs with an estimated value of €2,500, 4,800 unstamped cigarettes, posing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €2,600, and a number of retail goods, with an estimated value of €10,750.

The illegal drugs were discovered as a result of risk profiling, in various parcels originating from the USA, the UK, Canada, Spain, Poland, India and Thailand which were intended for delivery to addresses nationwide.

The retail goods were seized on account of their infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.

These seizures are part of Revenue's ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.

If businesses or members of the public have any information, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.