Cigarettes and tobacco worth some £20,000 were seized from a number of mobile "van shops" in the Ballymun area of north Dublin yesterday.
The goods were seized by customs officers from the Revenue Mobile Service assisted by gardai from the Crime Prevention Unit at Store Street, Dublin.
The officers took away some 110,000 cigarettes and over 16.5 kilogrammes of "roll-your-own" tobacco from vans after a surveillance operation. Rothmans, Benson and Hedges, John Player Blue and Laser were among the cigarette brands seized. The tobacco consisted mainly of the Samson brand. A vehicle valued at £15,000 was also seized during the joint operation.
A number of people were questioned about the seized goods and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. A Revenue statement said the operation was "part of an ongoing campaign to combat the illegal sale of tobacco".