Six held over 'smuggling ring'

The cigarettes were found in warehouses

A man from south Armagh is one of six people still being questioned after a cigarette smuggling operation run by dissident republicans was uncovered.

The man from Jonesboro is among the group who were arrested in Dundalk and the Netherlands.

Three men and a woman are being held in the Irish Republic, while two Irishmen are being questioned by Dutch police in the Netherlands.

Gardai worked alongside their Dutch counterparts to break up what is being described as a major international smuggling operation.

A garda spokesman said the value of the cigarettes was expected to run into several million euro.

The six people were arrested after warehouses in the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands were raided as part of an ongoing investigation into Real IRA activities.

The operation involved the gardai, Irish customs and Dutch police.

A warehouse in County Monaghan containing cigarettes has been cordoned off, pending examination by police and customs.

Another warehouse in the Netherlands has also been raided.

Men in custody

A gardai spokesman said it was part of "ongoing intelligence-led operation into both the financial and operational activities of dissident republicans (Real IRA), which has been going on for some weeks".

At the weekend, the authorities discovered a warehouse in the Netherlands containing a large consignment of cigarettes.

Two men in their 30s from the Dundalk area in County Louth were arrested and are in custody in the Netherlands.

Irish police also said that on Tuesday, a large consignment of cigarettes was discovered in a warehouse in the Inniskeen area of County Monaghan.

Three people in their 30s and 40s from the greater Dundalk area were arrested and are being held in garda stations in the Louth/Meath area.

One man was later released without charge.

Garda Superintedent John Farrelly said it was a very significant find.

"In total, we are talking about 5.5 million cigarettes. We are trying to establish at this stage where these cigarettes were destined for," he said.

"There were three different brands of cigarettes which wouldn't be that common in the Republic of Ireland, but we have seen them on sale in the six counties over a number of years."