Three men have been charged at a special sitting of Dundalk District Court in relation to the largest-ever haul of smuggled cigarettes in the history of the State.
The three men, Mr Robert Terence Tibbs and Mr Frederick James Kerley both from London; and Mr Terence Ivor Wall from Wales have been charged with attempting to evade customs duties and attempting to defraud the State of excise duties.
The three have been remanded in custody to appear before the court tomorrow. A fourth man arrested in connection with the seizure has been released without charge.
An estimated 80 million cigarettes, with a street value of over £12 million, were found on a docked ship by customs officers, backed up by armed gardaí at Dundalk port in the early hours of this morning.
Eight crew on the vessel - the MV Anto- and a number of Britons believed to be waiting to unload the cargo at the quayside, were arrested following the raid at around 4.00 a.m.
The seizure follows an international operation involving the Garda, Customs personnel, the Navy and British authorities.
It is understood the cigarettes were purchased in Spain, where duty rates are much lower than in Britain or Ireland, and intended for resale in the UK.
The number of cigarettes in the haul almost matched the total seized by Customs officials throughout this year.
The the MV Antois heading for Dublin port with the cigarettes, where it is expected that the haul will be destroyed.
Additional reporting PA