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11/08/2008
Tobacco 'Concealed In Fruit' Seized
Customs officers at Rosslare Port have seized six million contraband cigarettes - concealed in a consignment of fruit and vegetables.
The huge haul of cigarettes had arrived on a ferry from Cherbourg on Saturday, but are believed to have originated in Spain.
Customs officers say they would have been worth more than €2m if sold at full shop value.
Gardai are investigating the haul, but no arrests have yet been made.
This is far from being the first such attempt to evade duty - with many such examples and ever more ingenious methods attempted.
In October 2004 customs officers in Rosslare recovered illegally imported tobacco estimated to be worth €7 million.
The haul was made after customs officials searched a container on a lorry which had disembarked from a ferry from France.
Customs officers say risk analysis and profiling were the reasons they stopped a Lithuanian truck which had disembarked from Cherbourg.
The truck was supposed to be carrying 23 tons of peat moss, packed in 250 litre bags.
Just last year officers seized almost 3.5m contraband cigarettes in two separate operations.
A lengthy surveillance operation, codenamed Jacob, resulted in the recovery of about 3.3m cigarettes, with a retail value of more than €1m.
The haul had been concealed in the bases of two flat-rack containers, which had arrived at Dublin Port by ship from Saudi Arabia on May 25.
The potential loss of revenue to the Exchequer would have amounted to €880,000 if the cigarettes had been sold on the local market.
The containers were stacked on top of each other and were kept under surveillance for two weeks with officers keeping watch on the haul as it was transported to a rural part of County Tipperary.
The Revenue Commissioners said that smuggling cigarettes in flat-rack containers was now recognised internationally as a particularly effective method used by sophisticated gangs.
Flat-rack containers did not normally attract the attention of law enforcement as they appeared to be empty trailer bases.
At the same time last year, customs officers in Rosslare Europort seized 173,800 Marlboro cigarettes with a value of over €61,000 and a potential loss of revenue of almost €48,000.
The cigarettes originated in Poland and had arrived at Rosslare by car ferry, via Cherbourg in France.
(BMcC)
The huge haul of cigarettes had arrived on a ferry from Cherbourg on Saturday, but are believed to have originated in Spain.
Customs officers say they would have been worth more than €2m if sold at full shop value.
Gardai are investigating the haul, but no arrests have yet been made.
This is far from being the first such attempt to evade duty - with many such examples and ever more ingenious methods attempted.
In October 2004 customs officers in Rosslare recovered illegally imported tobacco estimated to be worth €7 million.
The haul was made after customs officials searched a container on a lorry which had disembarked from a ferry from France.
Customs officers say risk analysis and profiling were the reasons they stopped a Lithuanian truck which had disembarked from Cherbourg.
The truck was supposed to be carrying 23 tons of peat moss, packed in 250 litre bags.
Just last year officers seized almost 3.5m contraband cigarettes in two separate operations.
A lengthy surveillance operation, codenamed Jacob, resulted in the recovery of about 3.3m cigarettes, with a retail value of more than €1m.
The haul had been concealed in the bases of two flat-rack containers, which had arrived at Dublin Port by ship from Saudi Arabia on May 25.
The potential loss of revenue to the Exchequer would have amounted to €880,000 if the cigarettes had been sold on the local market.
The containers were stacked on top of each other and were kept under surveillance for two weeks with officers keeping watch on the haul as it was transported to a rural part of County Tipperary.
The Revenue Commissioners said that smuggling cigarettes in flat-rack containers was now recognised internationally as a particularly effective method used by sophisticated gangs.
Flat-rack containers did not normally attract the attention of law enforcement as they appeared to be empty trailer bases.
At the same time last year, customs officers in Rosslare Europort seized 173,800 Marlboro cigarettes with a value of over €61,000 and a potential loss of revenue of almost €48,000.
The cigarettes originated in Poland and had arrived at Rosslare by car ferry, via Cherbourg in France.
(BMcC)
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