A NORTHERN-REGISTERED car packed with cigarettes and alcohol driven by a Polish man disembarking from Holyhead. That find was just one of three black market seizures made in the last few days.
In the last week, three operations by the Revenue’s Customs Service confiscated a total of 35,000 cigarettes, 12.5kg of tobacco and over 41 litres of alcohol.
The first bust happened in Enniscorthy last Tuesday when revenue officials searched a house and uncovered a haul of cigarettes and tobacco. The cigarette brands included ‘Marlboro’, ‘L&M’ and ‘West’ as well as ‘Casa Blanca’ tobacco.
Then, four days later, an intelligence-led operation targeted the sale of illegal cigarettes in the Moore Street area of Dublin.
Again, cigarettes and tobacco were discovered including ’MG’, ‘BN’ and ‘Eagle’ branded cigarettes as well as ‘Eastenders’ branded tobacco.
In a third planned search at Dublin Port, officers stopped and searched a Northern Irish-registered car being driven by a Polish national that had arrived from Holyhead.
In the car, officers found 22,460 cigarettes and 41 litres of alcohol. The beer and vodka found had an estimated value of €1,000.
Over the course of the three operations, revenue officials say that the retail value of the black market goods totalled €22,200.
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