Over three million cigarettes seized by Revenue at Rosslare Europort
Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) welcomed the seizure of JPS Red branded cigarettes with an estimated retail value of approximately €2.4 million
Print12 October 2021
Over 3.3 million cigarettes were seized by Revenue at Rosslare Europort on Tuesday, 5 October.
Branded ‘JPS Red’, the cigarettes had an estimated retail value of approximately €2.4 million and represented a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €1.9 million.
Revenue officers made the discovery when they stopped and searched a Polish registered road train and its accompanying trailers, which had disembarked a ferry from Dunkirk in France.
The search, which was carried out with the assistance of Revenue’s mobile x-ray scanner, led to the discovery of cigarettes concealed within the load.
A man in his 40s was questioned and investigations are ongoing.
Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) welcomed the seizure, noting that it brought “the total quantity of seized illicit cigarettes reported by Revenue to over 40,000,000 so far this year pointing to a rapidly growing black market in Ireland”.
Retailers reiterated their call to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe TD not to include a further excise increase on tobacco products in the Budget 2022 announcement. “Additional excise increases will only serve to further incentivise consumers to purchase from the black market fuelling further growth in smuggling activity, which continues to impact registered and legitimate tobacco retailers whose legal cigarette trade can account for 20 – 30% of their business,” RAS said.
The association added that it commends the ongoing work by Revenue officials in the fight against smuggling, particularly at our major points of entry through ports and airports.
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