Five men arrested as illegal Irish 'cigarette factory' smoked out and dismantled by gardaí
The illicit commercial cigarette factory is believed to have had the capacity to produce up to a whopping 700,000 cigarettes per day
Five men have been arrested after a raid of an illegal cigarette factory in Ardee, Co Louth on Monday.
Gardaí and Revenue officers searched a premises in Ardee, Co Louth under warrant as part of an intelligence-led operation and closed down an illicit commercial cigarette factory which is believed to have had the capacity to produce up to a whopping 700,000 cigarettes per day.
During the search, approximately 8 tonnes of raw tobacco, all precursor components for the manufacture of cigarettes, and 660,000 illicit cigarettes branded ‘NZ’ were discovered on-site.
The retail value of the seized cigarettes is estimated to be over €595,000, with a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €470,000.
Approximately €4,500 cash was also seized with Revenue officers set to seek a three-month cash detention order.
The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Louth Crime Unit and Regional Armed Support Unit of An Garda Síochána, and detector dog Toby. Revenue collaborated with other members of the Joint Agency Task Force (JATF) ahead of yesterday’s operation.
Five men were arrested and are being detained in a Garda station in Co. Louth, and investigations are ongoing.