£20k illegal cigarettes seized in Belfast

A man has been arrested after £20,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco were seized during a series of raids on properties in north Belfast.
Home and vehicles in the Ardoyne area were raided as part of planned searches by officers from both HMRC and the PSNI on Tuesday evening.

Almost 100 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco, 20,000 duty free cigarettes and £10,000 in cash were recovered.

Brian Dixon of HMRC's Specialist Investigations said: "Tobacco smuggling is organised criminality on a global scale and robs the taxpayer of millions each year in unpaid duty and VAT."

A man was arrested and questioned in relation to the incident.