On Tuesday, December, 17, gardaí attached to Operation Citizen at Store Street Garda Station assisted customs officers in searches on Moore Street and Henry Street in Dublin 1.
“This operation was led by Customs who were targeting the sale of contraband and counterfeit excisable goods, primarily cigarettes and alcohol,” a garda statement said.
“A number of items of contraband were seized by Customs officers. There were no arrests in relation to these offences.
“Gardaí seized a number of counterfeit perfume items from a stall on Henry Street. Enquiries are ongoing in respect of this seizure.”
A statement from Revenue added: “Revenue took part in a multi-agency operation on Tuesday, as part of our ongoing work to combat and monitor shadow economy activity.
“No further information is available in respect of this operation.”
However, the raids have since attracted a backlash from celebrities and politicians defending the street traders.
Oscar-nominated band Kneecap said everyone on these streets is trying to make a living.
“All Dublin heads, we’ve got loads of merch on our website which is dead handy for a white Christmas,” they said.
“But the heads on the stalls on Henry Street who got raided yesterday are tryna [sic] make a living too and have rip off kneecap T-shirts.
“Can get the movie on the dodgy box too. Up the black market! Up the smugglers!”
Meanwhile, Daniel Ennis, a Social Democrats councillor for Dublin’s north inner city, said he is “sickened” by the action against traders.
“This would sicken you. Some of my friends are street traders – the best of people,” he said.
“Customs coming after them for small change while the tax avoidance experts cheat their way out of paying billions in taxes.
“Will Customs raid the markets in Dún Laoghaire or in D4? I doubt it,” he added.
Fellow Dublin city councillor Conor Reddy, of People Before Profit, added: “These stalls are part of the fabric of our city and many of the families trading on them have traded for generations.
“Christmas is pretty much all they have left and stalls over many years have become an important part of the Christmas experience in our city.
“The traders I know are the best of us, looking after those around them, actually caring for this city. It’s shocking they are being treated this way.
“Solidarity with the stall holders and street traders,” he added.
In separate operations at the start of this month, Revenue officers seized contraband with an estimated value of over €2.5m in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands, Rosslare and Shannon.
Among the seizures were 9,791 items of counterfeit goods, with an estimated value of €1,981,615.
The seized items included 9,156 pairs of counterfeit Nike-branded runners in 35 different designs.
