Customs seize 750,000 counterfeit cigarettes
ITMAC congratulates coup by customs officers in Cork
Print17 February 2010
Customs officers in Cork seized 750,000 counterfeit cigarettes and 500kg of tobacco estimated to be worth half a million euro during January.
A spokesperson from the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers’ Advisory Committee (ITMAC) said: “We congratulate all the agencies involved in the first significant seizure of the New Year. Non Irish Duty Paid cigarettes (NIDP) cost this country €526 million last year. €526 million is an unacceptable loss of Government revenue during recessionary times. The expected loss to the Exchequer for 2010 is set to reach €616 million – Ireland can’t afford to ignore NIDP any longer.
The level of illegal trade in cigarettes in Ireland revolves around organised criminal gangs, operating on an international scale causing job losses within the retail sector. Couterfeit cigarettes look exactly like the real thing, even down to the Irish health warnings and the Irish tax stamp.
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