Louth cigarette factory bust is “tip of the iceberg”

Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) have congratulated the Revenue Commission and Gardaí for their successes in discovering and shutting down a highly-sophisticated illegal cigarette factory in Co Louth, where cigarettes worth almost €600,000 were seized. 

The retail group has warned that this seizure is the “tip of the iceberg” and has claimed that tobacco smuggling in Ireland is “out of control.”

Headline figures recently released by the Revenue Commissioners show that Irish authorities seized €128 million worth of illegal tobacco in 2024, compared to €63 million in 2023. In total, 112 million cigarettes were seized by Irish authorities in 2024, with the amount nearly doubling in one year.

The Revenue Commissioners published a survey in 2024 which found that some 34% of cigarettes in circulation in Ireland were non-duty paid. 

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RAS national spokesman Benny Gilsenan, who is also a retailer on Dublin’s northside, said: “Today’s factory closure and the massive scale of seizures last year represent only the tip of the iceberg. Tobacco smuggling is out of control in Ireland."

He continued: “The new Government must massively increase their efforts to tackle tobacco smuggling, starting with increased scanning and detection at our ports; and adopting a zero-tolerance approach to illegal cigarettes being sold in our communities. 

“Tobacco smuggling is costing millions in lost revenue to both legitimate retailers and the Irish exchequers. Today’s factory closure is welcome, but more is needed to get on top of the problem.”