Over ten and a half million cigarettes were seized by Revenue officials at Dublin Port on Thursday morning.
The massive haul was worth an estimated €7,350,000 - which would've meant a loss of almost €6,000.000 to the Exchequer had it not been caught.
The Blue River cigarettes were discovered when a container from Vietnam was searched, having arrived from Rotterdam.
Both X-ray technology and detector dog Waffle were enlisted to assist officials in the search.
A Revenue spokesperson said "Today (15/7/2021), as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers at Dublin Port seized 10.5 million cigarettes with an estimated retail value of €7,350,000 representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €5,754,000.
"The illegal cigarettes, branded ‘Blue River' were discovered when Revenue Officers searched a container from Vietnam that had arrived into Ireland on a vessel from Rotterdam.
"The search, which was carried out with the assistance of Revenue’s mobile x-ray scanner and detector dog Waffle, led to the discovery of the cigarettes concealed within the load which was manifested as furniture.
"Investigations are ongoing.
"This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the shadow economy and the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling they can contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295."
