OVER 26,000 CIGARETTES were seized at Dublin Airport after two women and a man, believed to be part of an Eastern European cigarette smuggling gang, were stopped and searched.

The three included one Romanian woman, a Lithuanian woman and a Lithuanian man, who are all in their 20s.

They were stopped and searched by officers from the Revenue’s Customs Service after they had arrived on a flight from Zurich in Switzerland.

The 26,540 cigarettes that were seized had an estimated retail value of €11,500 with a potential loss to the Exchequer of around €10,000.  The ‘L&M’ and ‘Marlboro’ branded cigarettes were discovered in three suitcases and are believed to have been bought in Russia.

No arrests were made. Files are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Customs has asked that if businesses or members of the public have any information regarding the smuggling or sale of illegal cigarettes, they can contact Revenue in confidence on freephone 1800 295 295.