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Cigarette Smuggling

  • 12-03-2007 5:40pm
    #1
    ian.f
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 135 ✭✭


    Hi, dunno if this is the right forum but does anyone know what the punishments are for cigarette smuggling

    It seems to be so widespread but yet I have never heard of anyone being convicted for it.


Comments

  • #2
    johnnyskeleton
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 14,549 Mod ✭✭✭✭johnnyskeleton


    Customs law is very old, and I think the penalty fines are up to 3 times the duty-paid value of the goods (i.e. what they would be worth at full duty in Ireland). In addition to this, I think a separate summons can be issued which can carry imprisonment too.

    The problem with this fine is that for a large amount of cigarettes the duty could be quite high, but there is a limit to what the district court can actually fine you (something like the euro equivalent of £2500 per offence).

    This appears on revenue's website for 1998 source:

    "A lorry driver pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying 1.28 million cigarettes on which Excise duty chargeable at importation had not been paid. A statutory fine of £555,360, three times the duty-paid value of the cigarettes, was imposed at Wexford Circuit Court together wieh a 2-year prison sentence which was suspended."

    This is probably the height of it.

    I should also mention that there are very generous limits for what you can import from within the EU for personal use (more than you could comfortably carry anyways), and of course there are duty free allowances from most other countries.


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