Revenue seize sword umbrella and ninja weapons at mail centre
Revenue officers have seized Ninja swords, a machete-like Nepalese knife, switchblade knives and a 'sword umbrella' during examinations of parcels over the past week.
The collection of potentially deadly weapons were identified and confiscated in checks in the Midlands Mail Centre.
One of the weapons is described as a 'sword umbrella', which may sound like something from a KGB spy novel, but is very real. They look, and can fold out, like an umbrella. But if the handle is pulled out it can be used as a bladed weapon.
Also seized in just the past week were a couple of Japanese Ninja swords, with the characteristic curved blade.
In addition, a 'Kukri' knife was uncovered in a package. It is a machete-type weapon, known as a ritual blade from Nepal.
On top of these weapons, Revenue officers also confiscated foldaway switchblade knives as well as smoke bombs and fireworks.
All these items were found in parcels at the Midlands Mail Centre during which staff, assisted by detector dogs, recovered packages of various drugs and counterfeit items.
Along with similar operations at the Dublin Mail Centres, officers found a total of 5.4kg of cannabis herb, 5,200 street tablets, €42,750 in cash and a total of 561 counterfeit items, with an estimated street value of €178,000.
The parcels originated from France, India, the Netherlands and the UK, and were destined for addresses nationwide.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Revenue seize weapons, drugs, alcohol and tobacco in various operations
Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of €126,600 in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare Europort over the last week. The detections were made as a result of risk-profiling and intelligence-led operations, and included 1.79kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of over €31,570, 300 tabs of oxycontin, with an estimated value of over €12,600 and various other illicit drugs with an estimated value over €16,500. The herbal cannabis was discovered with the assistance of detector dog Enzo, while Revenue officers were examining parcels at premises in Dublin. The parcels originated from the USA, France and Canada, and were destined for various addresses nationwide. The various illicit drugs consisted of cannabis oil, cannabis resin, edibles, cocaine, magic mushrooms, synthetic cannabinoids, various tablets, grow kits containing psilocybin, HHC, THC gummies, as well as salvia. Revenue also seized tobacco products with an estimated value of over €5,400, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €4,300, nearly 78 litres of alcohol with an estimated value of over €1,480, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of €915 and 232 counterfeit items with an estimated value of over €58,650. The alcohol consisted of wine, beer and spirits. The tobacco products consisted of 5,000 cigarettes and almost 0.69kg of tobacco, branded Septwolves, Winston, JPS Blue, Benson and Hedges and Golden Virginia. The tobacco and alcohol products were seized in various operations in the Midlands and Rosslare. 40 weapons were also seized in the Midlands. The weapons consisted of smoke bombs, bullets, a flick knife and a slingshot. The counterfeit goods were seized as they were confirmed by the Rights Holder to have infringed on Intellectual Property Rights. The counterfeit goods were branded Adidas, Asics, Amiri, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Chloe, Dr Martens, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, On Cloud, Ralph Lauren, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, Ray-Ban and Stone Island. A spokesperson for Revenue said investigations into all seizures are ongoing. They added: "These seizures are part of Revenue's ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295."
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Revenue seize hundreds of parcels of illegal weight loss medication
Revenue have seized hundreds of parcels of illegal weight loss and other medical products, including items packaged as Ozempic, in operations over recent weeks. Revenue's Customs Service conducted a number of operations throughout the last few weeks targeting the illicit importation of weight loss and other medical products. These operations were conducted as a result of enhanced risk profiling techniques used by Revenue. In one such operation, assisted by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), a total of 85 shipments of illicit medical products were identified. This included items packaged as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. Further detections over the course of the operation resulted in the interception of additional products packaged as Tirzepatide. In a separate operation, conducted over the course of a two-week period, 635 detections were made whilst Revenue officers were examining parcels at premises in Dublin and the Midlands. These parcels contained a range of illicit medical products packaged as Semaglutide, together with substantial volumes of previously unknown Botox-type and tanning products believed to have been sourced via social media. These seizures reflect an emerging trend noted by Revenue officers, particularly those based at the national mail centres and courier hubs, who have seen a significant increase in packages containing mail order prescription-only medical products. The vast majority of packages intercepted contain weight-loss products addressed to private individuals who have purchased these products online. Larger consignments are occasionally detected at ports and airports. As at 31 May 2025, Revenue enforcement teams have seized almost 11,000 individual weight loss products during the course of various ongoing operations. This is a significant increase on the 2,300 individual products seized over the course of 2024. Our work in this space is supported by advanced risk analysis, profiling and the range of assets available to us. Our strategy also involves developing and sharing intelligence on a national, EU and international basis, and we continue to adopt an agile response to ensure that we deploy our resources optimally to counteract new risk areas as they develop. Consumers are reminded that it is important to take care when purchasing medical products online, as they may not be safe or effective. Consumers should also be cautious as they may suffer a financial loss if goods they purchase are subsequently seized because they are subject to restrictions. A spokesperson for Revenue said investigations in respect of all operations are ongoing.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- RTÉ News
Hundreds of weight-loss products seized by Revenue
Weight-loss products, including items packaged as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, have been seized following a number of operations by the Revenue Commissioners. Officers carried out a number of operations in recent weeks targeting the illicit importation of weight loss and other medical products. A total of 85 shipments of products were identified in one operation, including items packaged as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Additional products labelled as Tirzepatide were also found. In another operation, which was carried out over a two-week period, 635 detections were made while Revenue officers examined parcels at locations in Dublin and the midlands. These contained a range of products packaged as Semaglutide, as well as large amounts of previously unknown Botox-type and tanning products believed to have been sourced via social media. Revenue officers based at national mail centres and courier hubs say they have seen a significant increase in packages containing mail order prescription-only medical products. Most contain weight-loss products addressed to private individuals who have bought the products online. Larger consignments are occasionally detected at ports and airports. As of 31 May this year, Revenue enforcement teams seized almost 11,000 individual weight-loss products during various ongoing operations. This is a significant increase on the 2,300 individual products seized in 2024.
