Spanish police arrest suspected Real IRA smuggling gang
Spanish police arrested two suspected members of the Real IRA in the southern city of Malaga for allegedly attempting to smuggle 500,000 packets of cigarettes to Britain, the Interior Ministry said today.
Both men were being held on suspicion of attempting to smuggle tobacco after police swooped on two trucks carrying the cigarettes, the ministry said in a statement.
Authorities said they had conducted a two-year investigation before arresting the men, who the ministry identified as Thomas Philip C., of Dublin, and Aaron William J., of Lisburn.
During the investigation, police determined that several people from Northern Ireland had taken up residence on Spain’s south coast and were suspected of “collaborating directly” with armed groups linked to the Real IRA.
Police investigators believe the money raised by selling cigarettes smuggled from Spain to Britain – where tax on tobacco makes them considerably more expensive – could have been used to finance activities linked to suspected terrorism, the ministry said.
One truck was loaded with 250,000 packets of cigarettes and the other contained 248,000, the total value of which was estimated to be more than £683,000, the ministry said.
An average pack of 20 cigarettes in Spain costs about £2 compared to about £5 in the UK.
Both suspects were taken to a police station in Madrid for further questioning.
