Almost 143,000 cigarettes and 22.5kgs of ‘roll your own’ tobacco have been seized by Revenue officers in Dublin.
The huge find was made during a search of a house in the Dublin 7 area earlier today.
The intelligence-led operation was assisted by ace detector dog Bill and An Garda Síochána.
The illicit cigarettes were branded ‘Richmond’, ‘Blue River’ and ‘Richman Royal’, while the tobacco was branded ‘Flandria’, ‘Cutters Choise’ and ‘George Karelias’.
The huge haul has a total estimated retail value of over €110,500, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of approximately €87,200.
A 64 year old man was interviewed and investigations are ongoing.
A Revenue spokesman said: "These seizures are part of Revenue's ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the sale and supply of illegal tobacco products. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding shadow economy activity, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295."
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