30 July 2024
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Today (30/07/2024), as a result of risk profiling and with the assistance of detector dog Rua, Revenue officers seized 4.675 million cigarettes with an estimated value of almost €4 million at Port of Cork.
The illicit cigarettes – which did not contain a stamp indicating Irish tax had been paid – were branded ‘Lambert & Butler’ and ‘Richmond’, were discovered when Revenue officers examined an unaccompanied trailer arriving from Zeebrugge, Belgium and represent a potential loss to the Exchequer of €3.08 million.
Investigations are ongoing.
This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the sale and supply of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in the shadow economy. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.
