Dublin - Irish police say they have arrested a truck driver trying to smuggle 6 million cigarettes into Northern Ireland.

Police and customs officials say the tobacco goods arrived last week into Dublin Port on a container from Barcelona, Spain, that was marked "hair extensions."

They arrested the driver on Monday as he drove the cigarettes toward the British territory of Northern Ireland.

Police and customs issued separate statements on the find Tuesday.

Cigarette-smuggling is rife in both parts of Ireland, accounting for at least one in three cigarettes smoked. Criminals can make profits of €5 per pack by shipping cigarettes from Eastern Europe and Asia where cigarette taxes are much lower.
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