Drugs, alcohol and designer gear seized in Midlands Revenue sting

Revenue seize contraband worth over €718,000 in Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare

Revenue officers have seized over €718,000 in illegal contraband from Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare.

In a week-long sting involving numerous operations, beginning on Monday August 19, Revenue officers examined parcels at premises in Dublin and the Midlands, seizing approx. 23.5kgs of butane honey oil, 9.4kg of herbal cannabis, 513g of ketamine, with a total combined value of €690,500.

Various quantities of other illegal drugs, with an estimated value of €3,600, were also seized.

The illegal drugs were discovered, as a result of risk profiling, in parcels that originated in the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, India, Canada and Thailand and were intended for addresses nationwide.

Revenue officers also seized a quantity of retail goods, with an estimated value of €19,600, due to infringements of Intellectual Property Rights. 

The retail goods seized consisted of 27 x items of Apple Airpods, Chloe, Converse, Dr Martens, Louis Vuitton, New Balance, and Nike.

Photos x 2 attached: Photo 1 – Seizure of 1kg of herbal cannabis and 513g ketamine with a combined value of €50,800 in the Midlands last week.

Revenue officers from Rosslare were granted a three-month cash detention order by a judge following the seizure of €2,000 in cash. It is suspected that the cash is the proceeds of criminal activity, and was detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation. 

Lastly, a quantity of alcohol with a retail value of over €2,300, with a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost €1,300, was seized in another standalone operation.

These seizures are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on 1800 295 295.

Pictured: Seizure in Dublin last week of 23.5 kgs of butane honey oil and 8.4kgs of herbal cannabis with a combined estimated value of €640,000.

The various quantities of other drugs (worth €3,600) seized comprised: 330mls of cannabis oil, 7.9g of cocaine, 790g of cannabis edibles, 8.6g of magic mushrooms, and 1,272 Alprazolam, Benzodiazepine, Diazepam, Ephedrine, Zolpidem and Zopiclone tablets.

Investigations are ongoing.