APPROXIMATELY 9 MILLION cigarettes with a retail value of €4.3 million were seized by Gardaí and customs officials in Co. Louth this morning.
The seizure was made when officers from the Revenue’s Customs Service, in conjunction with the Criminal Assest Bureau and An Garda Síochána, stopped a truck and a 4 x 4 vehicle at a service station on the M1 motorway near Castlebellingham.
Officials believe the cigarettes had arrived into the state through Dublin Port from Malaysia and had a potential loss to the exchequer of €3.7 million.
Four men aged between 36 and 44 were arrested at the scene and are currently detained at Drogheda and Dundalk garda stations.
A number of business premises and private residences were searched following the seizure and officials say investigations are continuing.
The Revenue Custom’s Service say ongoing invetigations have led to the seizure of 35 million cigarettes so far this year.
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