LONDON: Two Tyrone men arrested in connection with major cigarette fraud have been released on bail.
The pair, aged 39 and 38, were held with three other men after officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the PSNI descended on a Tyrone farm on Thursday morning. Although the location of the rural property has not been disclosed, the Tyrone Herald understands it took place in the South Tyrone area. More than four million suspected illicit cigarettes were seized in the raid after investigators opened a large container at the farm. HMRC, who are leading the investigation alongside the PSNI and the Revenue Commissioners, said the haul was worth an estimated £1.3 million in lost duty and taxes.
Two men aged 37 and 22 from Co Monaghan and a 34-year-old Armagh man were also detained following the operation. A suspected mobile laundering plant was also seized. The five men were questioned by HMRC at a local PSNI station before they were released on bail.
