Five men have been arrested after an illegal commercial cigarette factory was discovered and shut down in Co Louth, with cigarettes worth almost €600,000 seized.
Revenue officers, assisted by gardaí, searched the factory in Ardee under warrant on Monday.
About 8 tonnes of raw tobacco, all precursor components for the manufacture of cigarettes, 660,000 illicit cigarettes, branded “NZ”, and about €4,500 in cash were discovered on-site and seized.
The equipment at the production plant is believed to have had the capacity to produce up to 700,000 cigarettes per day, along with pre-processing and packaging facilities.
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The retail value of the seized cigarettes is estimated to be more than €595,000, with a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €470,000, according to Revenue.
The intelligence-led operation was conducted with the assistance of the Garda Armed Support Unit in Louth and detector dog Toby.
Five men were arrested and detained in a Garda station in Co Louth under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
“Investigations are ongoing,” a Revenue spokesperson said.
