Eight million cigarettes seized by customs at Belfast port
A major cigarette smuggling operation has been disrupted by customs officers at Belfast port.
Eight million cigarettes destined for sale in the UK were discovered hidden on a ship from Singapore on Saturday, the Border Force said.
The load was listed as bed linen with a delivery address in Co Down, but during the search officers discovered 40 pallets with a total of 800 boxes containing the cigarettes.
This is the biggest single seizure of cigarettes at the port in six years.
Border Force said had the smuggling attempt not been stopped it could have cost the Treasury approximately £2.6 million in unpaid duty and VAT.
John Oldham, assistant director for Border Force Northern Ireland, said: “By stopping the shipment Border Force has starved those responsible of the proceeds of their criminality.
Related Posts
Jersey customs officers seize nearly £20,000 worth of duty
Customs officers in Jersey have seized 40,000 cigarettes, 14 kilos of tobacco and...
Workshop on ‘identification, counterfeit recognition’ ends
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) concluded the series of workshops on...
Defence canteen liquor seized in Serilingampally, two detained
115 liquor bottles worth ₹2.3 lakh seized by the Shamshabad’s District Task...
Dubai nabs fake shipment of Unilever’s Vaseline
Customs in Dubai have intercepted a shipment of 17,280 counterfeit packs of...