FOLLOWING the latest garda crackdown on the sale and supply of illegal cigarettes, the Revenue Commissioners secured five convictions at Limerick District and Circuit Court over the past week, bringing the total number of convictions so far this year to 60. These convictions include the imposition of fines totalling €106,300 and 22 custodial sentences, 14 of which have been suspended. At Limerick Circuit Court last week, John Bourke (54) of The Well Road, Singland Cross, Limerick pleaded guilty to keeping for sale 180,000 counterfeit cigarettes in the outhouses of a farm in the Ballysimon area in September, 2010.
The cigarettes had a potential retail value of over €75,000 and a potential loss to the Exchequer of over €46,000. Judge Carroll Moran sentenced John Bourke to two years imprisonment suspended for two years.
At Limerick District Court last Friday, four other convictions were imposed.
Cezary Kosla, with an address at The Steeples, Mulgrave Street, Limerick and Paulina Bobola, with an address at Castlemara, Annacotty, Limerick were found guilty on separate charges of keeping illegal tobacco products for sale and fined €2,500 each.
Szymon Tunia, with an address at Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick and Marcin Muszynski, with an address at Greengate House, Carr Street, Limerick were each fined €3,000 on similar charges.
A spokesperson for the Revenue Commissioners said that they wanted to “remind anyone tempted to buy cheap cigarettes from an irregular source of supply that there is a high possibility they are buying counterfeit goods, which provide an unknown set of health risks as the product is not the subject of quality control.
“It also takes much-needed funds from the exchequer; hurts legitimate trade and is funding criminal activity. Businesses and the public have an important role to play here. If they have any information regarding the smuggling or sale of illegal cigarettes, they should contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295”.
