NI's largest ever illicit spirit bottling plant exposed In a raid on premises at Washing Bay, Coalisland, Co Tyrone, Customs & Excise officers and the Royal Ulster Constabulary seized more than 26,000 litres of illicit spirits and 600,000 smuggled cigarettes, with a treasury value of £700,000. C&E said it was the largest illicit spirit bottling plant ever discovered in Northern Ireland. Customs officers said it was a highly organised plant. They found a number of proproprietary labels and believed the alcohol would have been sold on the black market as well known brands. Bryan Gray, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association, said smuggling in the province was a massive problem: "We estimate that between 35 and 40% of all cigarettes sold in Northern Ireland are smuggled, as is 50% of all petrol." He added that alcohol smuggling was an even bigger problem. {{NEWS }}