NEARLY five million illicit cigarettes worth more than £1.8m in evaded duty have been seized in Belfast.
A trailer containing the 4,869,000 President cigarettes was detained at Belfast docks on Monday.
The load, which was destined for an address in Co Armagh, was worth an estimated £1,825,875 in evaded duty.
It was seized by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in a joint operation involving Border Force and the PSNI.
No arrests were made.
Steve Tracey, assistant director of HMRC's fraud investigation service, said: "Tobacco fraudsters undercut legitimate retailers depriving the UK of money needed to fund our public services.
"HMRC will continue to target the supply of illicit tobacco, which costs the UK around £1.8 billion a year."
He urged anyone with information about the smuggling, storage or sale of illegal tobacco to contact HMRC online or phone its fraud hotline on 0800 788 887.
