Revenue Officers in Rosslare Europort seized more than 25,000 litres of beer with a retail value of over €100,000 last week.
The amount seized represents a potential loss to the Exchequer of more than €50,700 in VAT and Excise Duty.
Routine Profiling
According to Revenue, the consignment had been detained following routine profiling aimed at identifying alcohol products that may be diverted onto the market without proper payment of the tax due.
The beer in quesiton had arrived in a foreign registered truck that disembarked a ferry from France. Both the truck and the smuggled beer were seized by Revenue officers.
Revenue says that investigations into the case are ongoing, with a view to prosecution.
Tobacco Seizures
The seizure of beer follows on from an unrelated tobacco seizure last week, in which Revenue officers uncovered 9.6 million smuggled cigarettes at Dublin Port aboard a vessel from Rotterdam.
The cigarettes were found in a shipping container, said to contain “tyres”, when Revenue's mobile x-ray scanner was deployed as a result of routine profiling.
The seized cigarettes, branded “Excellence”, have a retail value of almost €4.5 million, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of approximately €3.8 million.
Revenue says it continues to target the supply of illicit tobacco products with a view to disrupting the supply chain, seizing the illicit product and prosecuting those responsible.
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan
