Customs foil fake vodka gang

10 September, 2009

Customs officers in Ireland have seized 4,000 litres of pure alcohol they believe was about to be transformed into counterfeit vodka.

The seizure at Dublin Port could have represented a loss to the Irish Exchequer of some €350,000 – but the authorities are also concerned about the health risks the liquid posed.

The alcohol is thought to have been produced in Bulgaria and was on its way to an Irish criminal gang, which could have produced 20,000 bottles of fake vodka from the liquid.

The alcohol was packed in 800 5-litre drums and was marked for delivery to a non-existent business in County Louth. It was labelled as car wash.