Customs officers have uncovered one of the largest illegal oil laundering plants ever discovered in the State near Dundalk, a spokesman said today.
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"It is one of the biggest, if not the biggest we have ever uncovered. The loss of revenue could, potentially, have run into millions of euros per annum," he said.
The spokesman said the operation had the capacity to launder up to 400,000 litres (100,000 gallons) of oil a week.
Criminal gangs, many of them with republican paramilitary connections, have been making multi-million euro profits by "washing" the dye out of marked diesel oil that is sold at a discount for agricultural use.
Most of the "clear" fuel is smuggled over the border to Northern Ireland, or through Northern Ireland to Britain, where it is sold for use by motorists or hauliers.
"The marker dye is either red or green and they take it out using acids. It goes through various chemical processes and they then have to remove the acids, the spokesman said.
The plant consisted of three overground tanks and one huge underground tank. Four trucks used to smuggle the finished product that were loaded with about 100,000 litres were also seized.
One truck was a grain trailer with a large tank concealed under straw, one was a 12-metre container lorry with a tank concealed inside and the other two are boxed lorries containing hidden tanks.
No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing.
AFP