Toome: Arrest after millions of suspected counterfeit cigarettes seized
- Published
HMRC officers were called after the PSNI stopped the vehicle near Toome
A man has been arrested after more than seven million cigarettes were seized from a lorry trailer stopped near Toome, County Antrim.
The operation, involving the PSNI and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), happened on Monday.
HMRC said the find of suspected counterfeit cigarettes was worth an estimated £3m in lost duty and taxes.
The man, who is 28 and from Magherafelt, County Londonderry, was later released on bail.
Steve Tracey, assistant director of HMRC's fraud investigation service, said the sale of illegal tobacco costs the UK "around £1.9bn a year".
"This is theft from the taxpayer and undermines legitimate traders," he added.
The cigarettes were found inside a 40ft-long trailer on Monday
PSNI Ch Insp Mervyn Steffen explained that the joint operation sends a "powerful message to those engaged in this type of criminality that they will be detained and brought before the courts".
"Those trading in illicit cigarettes can be involved in other organised criminality which brings misery and harm to local communities," he said.