A record 64 million smuggled cigarettes were seized by Customs officers at the Freeport this week.

The cigarettes were hidden in nine, 12-metre long containers that had been declared as carrying furniture and toys. They had arrived from Asia and were destined for the EU.

The discovery was made when Customs officers had doubts about the paperwork, which looked suspicious, and scanned the containers.

The Customs Department said it swooped on the illegal cigarettes after days of investigations.

The cigarettes, worth about €12 million in unpaid excise duty, will be destroyed.