Police uncovered an illicit vodka-bottling plant close to the border in South Armagh last night.
They discovered what they called a "crude" plant during a raid on premises at Jonesborough which also netted some £300,000 sterling of contraband goods.
The vodka plant involved cases of drink labelled as Smirnoff, a large plastic blue tub and hundreds of empty bottles and pre-printed Smirnoff labels.
A senior detective said it was clear they had smashed an effort to cash in on the drinks trade ahead of Christmas.
No one was arrested but Chief Supt Alan Caldwell of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said they were at the "very early stages of what is going to be a vigorous and complex investigation which will involve a number of agencies as well as ourselves".
A PSNI spokesman said they were examining the bogus vodka to establish exactly what it was.
Also found during the seizure were fake premium brand sports clothes including Republic of Ireland football shirts, thousands of music CDs, and DVDs and videos.
A large quantity of rolling tobacco and cigarettes was also taken away.
PA