Cigarettes worth more than €200,000 were stolen from a van by an armed man in north County Dublin today, gardai have said.
The incident occurred shortly after 7am at a traffic lights at Kilshane Cross, on the N2 north of Finglas, a garda spokesman said.
A man armed with a handgun, and wearing a high visibility yellow jacket and a builder's hard hat, forced the driver of the van to drive to the St Margaret's area.
The driver and his assistant were then forced out of the van and their heads were covered with bags.
A number of men transferred the consignment of cigarettes into a second van before escaping in the van and possibly also on a motorbike, the spokesman said.
Neither the driver or his assistant were injured during the hijacking. Gardai at Finglas are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone with information about the sale of cigarettes in unusual circumstances, to come forward.