Revenue Commissioner inspectors have seized cigarettes worth more than €1 million in Dublin Port.
Two million cigarettes were seized when customs officers checked a container from Rotterdam which arrived at Dublin Port.
The seized cigarettes, which originated in Belarus, have a retail value of over €1.2 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of over €1 million.
Investigations are ongoing and no arrests have been made to date.
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Cigarette smuggling has escalated in recent years as there has been a €2 hike in excise duty in successive budgets. A further 50c was added to the cost of a packet of 20 in the last budget.
The cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes is now about €12.70, of which €11 is excise.
