Four containers full of contraband cigarettes have been seized by Customs officials at the Freeport.

The containers held 37 million cigarettes and were on their way to Libya. A specialised Customs scanner uncovered the four containers, originally from Cambodia.

The investigation took place over a number of weeks and saw the coordination of several Customs departments, including the Intellectual Property Rights Unit, Containers Monitoring Unit and the Customs Scanning Unit.

Two containers held 10 million contraband cigarettes and the other two of them 8.5 million, the Customs Department said in a statement.

Right holders' legal advisors confirmed the cigarettes were counterfeit.

This year has proven to be a record year for the Customs Department in uncovering contraband cigarettes. Earlier this year, it seized 11.6 million contraband cigarettes.

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