Revenue spent €2.7 million storing and destroying nitrous oxide, cigarettes, and booze

Ken Foxe

Revenue spent nearly €2.7 million last year storing and destroying nitrous oxide, smuggled cigarettes, and booze.

More than 90 per cent of the overall bill came from dealing with the canisters of laughing gas, a major headache for authorities in the last few years.

The cost of storage of seized nitrous oxide was €427,000, while a further €2.05 million was spent on the destruction of the gas.

A smaller sum of around €95,000 was paid for shredding tobacco, cigarettes, and other miscellaneous items.

Revenue also spent €113,000 to get rid of smuggled alcohol, according to figures released under FOI laws.

Their enforcement activity led to the seizure of hundreds of millions of euros' worth of narcotics and other illegal products last year.

There were 19 separate seizures of nitrous oxide, nearly 35,000 kilograms worth, with a value of €1.28 million.

Revenue reported 169 hauls of vapes containing THC or other controlled substances, which would have been worth around €66,000 if sold on the street.

Other seizures included 606 cases involving weapons, five litres of pepper spray, and 29 involving ammunition.

Cannabis – both herbal and resin – made up the largest proportion of seizures, with 5.5 tonnes of the drug discovered.

Overall, there were more than 2,400 seizures of cannabis with a street value of almost €105 million.

Discoveries of cocaine and heroin worth €73 million were also logged by the Revenue Commissioners in 2025.

An incredible 16,085 seizures of amphetamines, ecstasy, and other drugs took place, according to the data.

Revenue nabbed 46.9 million cigarettes, with an estimated street value of €42.5 million.

A further 23 tonnes of loose tobacco were seized along with nearly 600,000 litres of smuggled alcohol products.

This included over 461,000 litres of beer – the equivalent of more than 800,000 pints.

Almost 14,000 litres of spirits were seized along with 120,000 litres of wine.

There were 80 separate seizures of cash, with a value of almost €3 million, the Revenue said.

Counterfeit goods – in breach of intellectual property laws – were also discovered and would have been worth about €9.1 million if sold to the public.

Revenue also reported two seizures of items covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

This can include items like elephant tusks or endangered animals.

Asked about the records, a spokesperson said: “Combating the smuggling of prohibited and restricted goods is, and will continue to be, a priority to Revenue.

“Revenue will continue to use advanced analytics and a multiplicity of detection technologies while ensuring the optimum deployment of resources on a risk-focused basis.”

The spokesperson said they also worked with national and international partners to tackle and target illicit smuggling.