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Foyle and West | 9m cigarettes are seized at docks 

Jump to full article: BBC Online, 2009-07-29

Intro:

More than nine million suspected counterfeit cigarettes have been seized in freight containers at Belfast docks over the last 24 hours.

About 3.5 million John Player Special cigarettes were found on Tuesday night by the UK Border Agency concealed in two containers under a load of granite.

On Wednesday morning officers uncovered six million mixed-brand cigarettes in a trailer containing peppers. A man from County Armagh was arrested by Customs after the second find.

The cigarettes have an estimated duty loss of almost £2m.

The brands found in the second batch included Benson and Hedges and Marlboro. John Whiting, of HM Revenue and Customs said: "Tobacco smuggling is not a victimless crime.

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