James Carroll (Fianna Fail)

I call for a debate on smuggling and how best to tackle it. I raise the issue in the light of the major seizure of illegal drugs in County Louth last night when approximately 8 million cigarettes were seized by Customs officials with an estimated street value of €3.4 million. It seems the cigarettes arrived in Dublin Port in a container from China. We must discuss how cigarettes are being brought into the country. Is there a common route? Are certain countries commonly used for this purpose? We must get to the bottom of the matter. In the Border counties the black economy is a jobs killer because it is not allowing people to be employed and pay taxes. This issue must be addressed urgently.