THESE are the first images of the secret factory that produced €50million worth of illegal cigarettes for a major crime gang.

Our exclusive photos show the lengths the mob went to hide their money-spinning operation - capable of producing a massive 250,000 cigarettes per hour - from Revenue investigators.

It was the first time a large-scale cigarette making facility - located in Jenkinstown, Co Louth - had ever been discovered in Ireland.

We publish the images after 11 people were recently convicted for their role in the operation.

The border gang’s huge profits  ended when Revenue and Gardai - part of the Cross Border Joint Agency Task Force - swooped on March 15, 2018.

Once inside, officers recovered a staggering 23.5m counterfeit cigarettes displayed as the ‘Mayfair’ brand.

Also seized were 71 tonnes of raw tobacco - capable of making a staggering 71m cigarettes.

Once finished, the product had a retail value of €49.6m, with a €39.2m loss to the exchequer

The facility was also capable of producing 3million cigarettes per day - with a daily loss to the exchequer of €1.24m. Investigators believe the cigs were destined for the UK market.

The factory was surrounded by CCTV cameras with views of surrounding fields and roads.

As part of the gang’s efforts to shield their criminal enterprise, our pics show how bales of hay were erected outside the facility and containers also piled close to the site.

And inside the site, other snaps show how there were bedrooms, storage facilities for food, a kitchen and bathroom.

Another photo shows how a roster was used to manage the 11 people who produced the dodgy cigarettes.

Investigators believe those based at the site were forced to work 12-hour shifts.

 Officers also discovered large amounts of food - including dozens of loaves of Brennan’s bread, which was in short supply due to the ‘Beast from the East’ storm.

Other materials such as cigarette filters, cigarette paper, filter paper and packaging were discovered. Packs to hold 20 cigarettes, 200 cigarette sleeves, silver foil, wrapping, black mastercase boxes and pallets from the ground to the ceiling were also recovered.

Our images show the industrial machines that were used to produce millions of smokes.  During their raid, officers found  the machines were still warm after they were turned off in mid-production.

A trade expert examined the machinery and confirmed it was a fully manufacturing facility capable of producing large quantities of cigs.

Raw tobacco and the cigarettes were also tested to prove their authenticity.

The factory also exposed  how a major Irish crime gang were involved in running their own factory here.

In the past, illegal cigarettes would have been produced in places such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Michael Gilligan - principal officer in Revenue’s Investigation, Prosecution and Frontier Management Division - told how Irish crime gangs are key players in the illegal trade of cigarettes and tobacco.

He said: “In terms of this criminal enterprise, there are Irish people involved at the highest level of moving tobacco products and cigarettes across Europe.

“They are providing their particular expertise and they’re involved with smugglers from Spain, Holland, Belgium, Germany and the UK. They are constantly evolving, identifying new routes, methods, trends and their networks.

“This type of crime also funds other elements of serious organised crime.

“Through our engagement with our international partners we know Irish organised crime gang figures are targets of customs officers in many countries and also Europol. We have excellent cross-border and international relationships with our partners.”

At present, the major crime gangs involved in the illegal cigarette trade also use shipping containers to bring their products into Ireland. A pack of cigarettes can be bought in Belarus for €0.80 before being sold on the black market in Ireland for €6.

And if a gang brings in 8m cigs in a container it means they could make a €2m profit from just one container.

Between 2018 and 2019, two illicit manufacturing facilities were discovered in Co Louth while another one for producing hand rolling tobacco was discovered in Carlingford.

And Customs’ officers also worked with their HMRC colleagues in the UK when two plants in Co Armagh were discovered. In May 2020, a smuggling route from Holland to Ireland was also identified as part of a major international investigation.

During a series of raids on both sides of the border, officers seized 5.5m tonnes of illegal cigarettes here and 5.5m smokes in the North.

In April of this year, 22 boxes of ‘roll your own’ tobacco was identified by Revenue in a logistics firm’s office.

Latest stats show 15 people were convicted of tobacco smuggling last year, compared to seven in 2020.

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