50 million cigarettes, which were being smuggled into Ireland, were seized by customs officers last year.
Figures from the Revenue show 15,497 seizures were made at ports and airports around the country in 2006.
That is an increase on the previous year, when almost 13,500 consignments of contraband cigarettes were intercepted.
A spokesperson for Revenue and Customs has said the smuggled cigarettes would have cost the taxpayer €15 million in lost revenue.
