Samurai sword, cannabis and alcohol among €275,000 of goods seized in a week
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A samurai sword, drugs, alcohol and counterfeit goods were among a €275,000 haul seized by Revenue in the past week.
Revenue officials discovered the contraband during operations in Dublin, the Midlands, Rosslare Europort and Shannon Airport since last Monday. The finds were made as a result of risk profiling and intelligence led operations.
Herbal cannabis and other drugs were discovered, with the assistance of detector dogs Sam and Enzo, while Revenue officers were examining parcels at premises in Dublin, the Midlands, and Shannon Airport. The parcels originated from USA, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, France, Canada, Poland, and Germany, and were destined for various addresses around Ireland. The full list of seized items includes:
8.5kg of herbal cannabis, with an estimated value of over €170,800,
1,150 assorted tablets, and other illicit drugs, with an estimated value of almost €2,000,
300g of butane honey oil, with an estimated value of €6,300,
tobacco products with an estimated value of over €19,500, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of over €15,200,
over 210 litres of alcohol, with an estimated value of over €4,000, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €2,100, and
187 counterfeit items, with an estimated value of over €72,800.
The counterfeit goods were were seized as they were confirmed by the Rights Holder to have infringed on intellectual property rights and were branded with a number of well known labels, including Adidas, Asics, Burberry, Gucci and Nike.
The tobacco and alcohol products were seized in various operations in the Midlands and Rosslare, with the assistance of detector dog Jasper. Two weapons, a telescopic baton and a samurai sword, were also seized in the Midlands.
A Revenue spokeswoman said: "Investigations into all seizures are ongoing. 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."
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