I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that statistics are not maintained in a manner that would provide precise information regarding the number of stock checks at retail stores.
I can, however, advise that Revenue enforcement officers have been conducting checks at retail outlets, markets, and distribution centres in an ongoing operation entitled Operation Downstream since December 2007. This operation focuses on seizing illicit cigarettes that evaded detection at the point of importation. In the course of this operation 12 seizures totalling 1 million cigarettes were made in December 2007, 128 seizures totalling 6.4 million cigarettes in 2008, and 208 seizures totalling 8.7 million cigarettes were made during the first nine months of 2009. These checks are carried out on the basis of specific information received concerning certain outlets and at premises such as markets where contraband cigarettes are known to be on sale.
In a parallel ongoing operation targeting cigarette packs bearing counterfeit tax stamps, checks have been made at more than 200 retail stores in the Dublin region in the course of 2009 to date. This operation was instigated following the detection of bogus Irish Tobacco Tax Stamps on counterfeit cigarettes smuggled from China.