All nine men arrested in connection with the seizure of 120m cigarettes in Greenore Port in Co Louth yesterday have been released.
A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions on the five Irish men, a Lithuanian and a Ukrainian.
Customs officials have begun to unload the cigarettes from the MV Anne Scan at Dublin Port.
The operation to remove nearly 1,500 one-tonne bags could last until tomorrow.
Revenue have said that five brands of cigarettes have been found among the haul.
The 3,500-tonne vessel arrived in Dublin Port from Greenore at around 3am this morning.
Revenue estimates that the value of the cargo, which came from the Philippines, is around €50m, and would have represented a €40m revenue loss to the State.
The cigarettes were hidden in the bags, which it was claimed contained animal feed.
The full extent of the haul will not be known until the cargo has been unloaded and the contents of the bags counted.
Although there may be links between some of those arrested and dissident republicans, it seems the main focus of the investigation so far is on a large scale, well-funded cross-border criminal gang.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, John O'Connor, Ex-Commander of the Flying Squad at Scotland Yard, said Ireland is an attractive staging post for this type of crime.
A representative of the British Revenue and Customs (HMRC) John Whiting has said the colossal size of the shipment indicates that some of the cigarettes were destined to be sold in the UK.
Mr Whiting described it as a 'great success' for the law enforcement organisations north and south of the border.
Austin Rowan of the European Anti-Fraud Office said 'I have been involved with cigarette investigations for 15 years and as far as we are aware this is the biggest ever seizure in the history of the European Union.'
