Approximately 40,500L of marked mineral oil, also referred to as green diesel has been seized by Revenue from a haulage yard in Co. Tipperary this week.
The green diesel represents a potential loss to the exchequer of approximately €34,800, and a man in his 30s has been questioned.
Separately last week and also as a result of risk profiling, Revenue officers seized approximately 24,875L of beer with an estimated value of over €99,000 at Rosslare Europort.
The illicit beer seized included multiple brands, such as Budweiser’, ‘Carlsberg’, and ‘San Miguel’, and represents a potential loss to the exchequer of more than €46,400.
Revenue seize
The consignment was discovered during the search of an accompanied trailer which had disembarked a ferry from Dunkirk, France.
Both the trailer and alcohol have been seized and the driver of the load has been questioned.
Investigations into this incident and the seized marked mineral oil are ongoing as part of Revenue’s continued operations targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity.
If businesses, or members of the public have any information regarding smuggling, they have been asked to contact the Revenue confidential helpline.
GPS theft
Separately, recent thefts of GPS equipment from tractors in north Co. Dublin is still subject to investigations from Gardaí in the area.
It is understood the GPS equipment was removed directly from vehicles and also stolen from sheds.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) believes that criminal gangs have been deliberately targeting farmers in the area and could have stolen as much as €100,000 worth of farm equipment.
The IFA deputy president, Alice Doyle said that it is moving into the time of year for farmers when GPS will be much more in use than in recent months.
Doyle recommended that farmers store GPS systems away from the vehicle in a secure area, record serial numbers, and install additional security devices such as CCTV cameras or sensor lights.
She believes that there needs to be additional Garda patrols and checkpoints to “apprehend the criminal gangs”.