Customs officers in Dublin have seized 257 drums of pure alcohol that they believe were for making counterfeit vodka.
Revenue Customs staff from Dublin Port and gardaí from the Bridewell Garda station seized the drums from an illegal bottling plant in Dublin's inner city at the weekend.
The alcohol was labelled as "detergent" on five-litre, plastic drums.
Officers believe the alcohol is pure and had the potential to make up to 4,500 litres of counterfeit vodka.
Other items seized included bulk water containers, labels, caps, boxes and a filtering system. The labels were for a well-known brand of vodka.
The operation could have resulted in an ongoing loss of revenue in the region €600,000 per annum, according to Revenue.
A Revenue spokesman said: "The caps on the bottles were not capable of being sealed, which clearly indicates the counterfeit vodka was destined for sale to unscrupulous traders.
"Aside aside from the revenue at risk, a feature of this illegal operation was the lack of any kind of quality or health controls. We are appalled by the unhygienic conditions and the way stagnant water was going to be used in the process."
An investigation is ongoing with the help of forensic evidence gathered.
