Customs officials have smashed what they believe to be the largest ever fuel laundering plant in Northern Ireland in a cross-border operation.
The plant was found on the Kilnasaggart Road, near Jonesborough in south Armagh.
It is thought it was used by republican elements to supply loyalists in west Belfast and was capable of producing up to six and a half million litres of illicit fuel a year.
The plant, which had the potential to evade almost £3.2m of revenue every year was dismantled in a joint operation involving customs staff and police on both sides of the border.
"The laundering plant was right on the border, an area which is traditionally very difficult for us to operate in," John Whiting from HM Revenue and Customs told UTV.
The plant was found in a large shed in Co Armagh where around 25,000 thousand litres of illicit fuel, four large storage tanks and associated equipment were seized.
Almost 1,000 litres of acid and a quantity of acid waste, the by-product from the laundering process, was removed as well.
Customs officers in Louth also seized a 40ft cattle truck with a concealed tank, along with a number of other vehicles.
"On top of the lost tax to the Revenue, we also have the cost to the ratepayers that have had to clean up the environment where the toxic waste from this laundering plant has been dumped in the environment", Mr Whiting added.
"And clearly there are also other issues, where that waste has been no doubt dumped in rivers and forests posing danger to children and animals".
The investigation into the laundering plant began last year.
"There's forensic evidence that's been uplifted and hopefully we will identify the perpetrators involved at the plant," Mr Whiting said.
© UTV News