28/11/2003

Two million cigarettes bound for NI seized

Nearly two million smuggled cigarettes destined for Northern Ireland have been seized by Customs officers in Liverpool.

The Sovereign-branded cigarettes were discovered hidden in lead-lined crates of plate glass during an x-ray and physical examination at the city’s Seaforth Docks.

Customs’ head of investigation Northern Ireland, Jane Salt said: “Customs have stopped cigarettes worth over £400,000 reaching Northern Ireland. This shows how operations across the UK are protecting the trades of legitimate local shopkeepers."

The container was unloaded from the MSC Ghana, which had arrived from Greece, on Wednesday. Customs enquiries are continuing.

(MB)

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