Revenue Seizes €340,000 Worth of Contraband in Major Week-Long Operation

Revenue officers have seized contraband worth over €340,440 in a series of operations across Dublin, the Midlands, and Rosslare Europort over the past week, with a major wine seizure at the Wexford port accounting for nearly half the total value.

The operations, which began on 18 August 2025, resulted from risk profiling and intelligence-led investigations. The largest single seizure occurred at Rosslare Europort on 21 August, where officers confiscated approximately 11,340 litres of red wine branded ISKAR Rara Neagra. The wine, valued at over €138,325, represents a potential loss to the Exchequer of more than €48,170 in unpaid taxes.

The Rosslare wine shipment arrived in an accompanied trailer that had disembarked from a ferry from Dunkirk, France. Following routine profiling aimed at identifying alcohol products that might be diverted onto the market without proper tax payment, both the trailer and its contents were seized. The investigation into this seizure continues.

Among the more unusual items seized were 200 Labubu dolls, valued at €4,000, and 374 other counterfeit items worth over €89,730. The counterfeit goods included products falsely branded as Adidas, Nike, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, and notably for Irish sports fans, O'Neills merchandise. These items were confirmed by rights holders to have infringed on intellectual property rights.

Drug seizures formed a significant part of the operation, with detector dogs Sam and Ciara assisting in the discovery of 1.59kg of herbal cannabis worth over €25,640, 742 tablets valued at €1,300, and various other illicit substances worth €920. The drugs included cannabis oil, edibles, synthetic cannabinoids, MDMA, ketamine, and various prescription medications such as Benzodiazepine and Diazepam. These parcels originated from the USA, Thailand, and the UK, destined for addresses across Ireland.

Revenue officers also seized tobacco products worth €4,100, representing a potential exchequer loss of over €3,000. The products included Heet Tobacco Sticks, Apache Cigarettes, and L&M Blue cigarettes. Additionally, 18 weapons and related items were confiscated, including pepper spray, gun accessories, smoke bombs, an airsoft sub-machine gun, and a nunchuk.

The total alcohol seizures, including the Rosslare wine and other spirits, beer, and unlabelled alcohol found in various operations, exceeded 11,450 litres with a combined value of over €139,750, representing almost €75,000 in potential lost tax revenue.

A Revenue spokesperson confirmed that investigations into all seizures are ongoing as part of their continued efforts to target smuggling and shadow economy activity. They encouraged businesses and members of the public with information about smuggling to contact Revenue confidentially on 1800 295 295.

The scale of these seizures, particularly the sophisticated attempt to import untaxed wine through Rosslare, highlights the ongoing challenge authorities face in preventing contraband from entering the Irish market. With Rosslare serving as a key entry point for goods from continental Europe, the port remains a critical location for Revenue's enforcement operations.