Baltic cigarette smugglers target Ireland

  • 2006-06-12
  • By TBT staff

TALLINN - For years Baltic customs officials have battled against Russian cigarette smugglers who truck cheap contraband across their borders.
Now Baltic smugglers have been accused of undertaking similar operations into Ireland.
Irish officials have reported an influx of illegal cigarette importations, the Irish Examiner has reported.
The number of cigarettes confiscated at airports more than trebled last year.
Officials believe Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Polish criminal gangs are responsible for trucking the majority of illegal cigarettes into Ireland.
The cheap cost of cigarettes in Baltic countries is believed to be a major factor.