Gardai suspect that the cigarettes worth £4 million sterling which were stolen from Belfast docks early on Saturday could still be in Northern Ireland. Two lorries used to transport the cigarettes were found empty and abandoned at the side of two of the Republic's main roads to the Louth border with the North on Saturday evening and yesterday morning.
The cigarettes were taken in a raid which bore similarities to the theft of cigarettes from a freight train near Dunleer railway station in Louth two years ago. No one was charged and the cigarettes were never recovered.
Yesterday gardai said they believed the cigarettes stolen in Belfast could still be in the North as all lorries travelling across the Border were being searched in connection with foot-and-mouth. A Garda source would not be drawn on whether a criminal or subversive gang was involved but said it was "quite possible" the gang could be linked to the Dunleer raid.
It is understood detectives are exploring a number of theories, including the possibility that the IRA could have been involved, and they are working closely with the RUC.
In the raid, up to seven armed men locked four members of staff into a container and forced a crane driver to load the cigarettes into four container lorries on Friday night/Saturday morning. None of the staff was injured but they were all extremely distressed. RUC Det Sgt Kevin Geddes said the robbery was well planned. On the possibility of paramilitary involvement, he said: "While there is nothing to indicate that at the moment, nothing can be ruled out."
The first lorry was found at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday a mile north of Drogheda at Tully esker, on the Dublin-Belfast road. The second was found a short distance north of Collon, on the Dublin-Derry road, at 7.30 a.m. yesterday. Both were empty. Garda forensic experts were examining them yesterday.The cigarettes were due for sale in Belgium and carry health warnings in French and German.