IN a joint operation, Revenue and Am Garda Siochana have closed down a major illicit commercial cigarette factory in Jenkinstown, Co. Louth.
Eleven men were arrested during the major operation which took place before 8 am this morning.
According to a spokesperson for Revenue, this was the first time a commercial illicit cigarette production plant was discovered in Ireland.
The factory was in full operation when Revenue officers and the Armed Support Unit entered the premises.
Authorities at the factory in Jenkinstown, Co. Louth. (Picture: RollingNews.ie)The men, aged between their late 20’s and 50’s, are believed to be Eastern European and have been taken to Dundalk Garda Station where they are detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
Revenue officers found over 40 tonnes of tobacco, all of the precursor components for the manufacture of cigarettes, and around 25 million cigarettes, which were branded ‘Mayfair’ for distribution.
The plant also contained living quarters.
If the finished cigarettes had reached the Irish market, the estimated loss to the Exchequer would have been approximately €12 million.
