Published Friday, 15 June 2012
Brand name trainers were seized after they were found to be counterfeit. (© Border Force)
Border Force officers at Belfast international Airport seized the contraband.
A woman who claimed that she had bought 69 pairs of brand name trainers in Turkey as presents for her 37 grandchildren had them seized after enquiries to the makers confirmed that they were counterfeit.
Officers also detained €120,000 and £3,400 in cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act from a passenger who had travelled to Belfast from Nigeria and who could not satisfactorily explain why he had not declared it.
Other items seized from passengers include 250,000 cigarettes along with 100 kilos of hand rolling tobacco and four kilos of Biltong, a dried meat product; this was passed to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) for disposal.
In addition 19 offensive weapons and a DVD containing obscene material were also seized.
John Spence from Border Force said: "Border Force officers are on constant alert to keep contraband goods and other banned substances out of the UK.
"Anyone who smuggles tobacco for commercial gain is effectively stealing from the public purse and from law-abiding taxpayers.
"The money from this kind of smuggling is often recycled into other forms of organised crime."
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling can call the Border Force hotline on 0800 59 5000.