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Almost three million illicit cigarettes seized in south Armagh

PSNI a large lorry with its tarpaulin pulled back is loaded with illicit cigarettes. They are stacked on pallets the length of the lorryPSNI
The cigarettes were seized on 24 April

Almost three million cigarettes with unpaid tax have been seized in County Armagh.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials supported by the police seized the cigarettes during a search of premises in Camlough, near Newry on 24 April.

The cigarettes are worth an estimated £1.6m million in duty and taxes, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said.

A total of 2.7 million non-UK duty paid cigarettes were discovered during the search. No arrests have been made.

"This seizure sends a powerful message to those engaged in this type of crime that it will not be tolerated, and also underpins the dedication of all law enforcement in tackling sale and supply of illicit tobacco products locally," PSNI Supt Norman Haslett said.

Dermot Clarke of the fraud investigation service at HMRC said the seizure "demonstrates how we are disrupting the trade in illicit cigarettes".

He said the trade in illicit tobacco is "a crime that damages funding for essential public services and undermines legitimate businesses that serve local communities".

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco to come forward.