2m cigarettes seized in Northern Ireland raids

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/feb/04/cigarettes-seized-northern-ireland-raids

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Around 2m cigarettes have been seized in a raid on a tobacco processing plant in Northern Ireland.

Customs officers and police arrested five people in an operation targeting a smuggling racket that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs suspects may be worth around £110m.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland and HMRC said 12 tonnes of raw tobacco and £50,000 were also found during the operation.

Three men aged 25, 31 and 35 were arrested at a house in County Tyrone, and a 52-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman were arrested in Co Down after four properties were searched.

Gardai and Irish customs officers carried out raids at properties in Co Louth and Dublin. In the Republic’s side of the operation, around 300,000 illicit cigarettes and around €100,000 were seized.

Mike Parkinson, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “The trade in illicit tobacco is unregulated and makes cheaper tobacco more readily available to the young and vulnerable. Tobacco fraud is a highly organised global crime which costs the £2bn a year in lost taxes.

“Co-operation with our partners across the UK, Ireland and overseas is essential if we are to tackle this problem effectively.”

Raw tobacco is believed to be imported into Ireland and Northern Ireland from places such as China and then processed in illegal plants, many of which are in border counties.

Customs on both sides of the Irish border have warned that much of the smuggled tobacco contains more impurities than legally produced tobacco.