INDUSTRIAL alcohol worth around €460,000 has been seized at an illegal production plant in Co Louth.
The alcohol, including 4,000 litres of raw alcohol capable of producing 12,000 litres of vodka-type spirits, was removed from a farm in the border area on Wednesday evening after a large-scale plant processing industrial alcohol was uncovered.
In addition to the spirits, Revenue officers seized items relating to the production line, a forklift truck and cash of €5,000 and £1,000.
The Revenue has estimated that the potential retail value of the alcohol is €460,000 with a loss to the taxman of €300,000.
One man has been interviewed and investigations are ongoing.
Vodka is the most commonly counterfeited alcohol and often contains high quantities of methanol; which can cause breathing difficulties, liver damage or blindness; and isopropyl alcohol, a chemical solvent commonly found in nail varnish remover.