Revenue officers seized 10,800 nitrous oxide canisters with an estimated value of €388,800 at a warehouse in Co. Dublin.
The colourless gas is legitimately used in the catering industry in bottled whipped cream or to fill packets of snack foods, according to the National Drug and Research Centre.
The discovery was made in a consignment originating from Germany which had arrived via Zeebrugge, Belgium and was intended for delivery at an address in Dundalk, Co. Louth, according to Revenue.
Revenue has a range of powers under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010, to detain and seize psychoactive substances.
This is for instances where there are reasonable grounds for believing that the goods being imported are not intended to be utilised for legitimate purposes such as catering but rather for personal consumption or distribution.
No further information is available as investigations are ongoing.
The seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the illicit trade in, and the importation of, psychoactive substances into Ireland.
If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding smuggling, they can contact Revenue directly.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide is not currently a controlled substance under Ireland’s Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and can be legally sold for catering and industrial purposes, according to the National Drugs Library.
However, the selling and illegal use of the gas canisters for human consumption is an offence Contrary to Section 3 of the Psychotic Substance Act 2010 and poses serious risks to health.
The substance is sometimes referred to as “laughing gas”, and an online survey in 2019 with over 1,000 Irish festival attendees found that 28% had used nitrous oxide while attending music festivals in Ireland.
The survey by Planet Youth also showed that of those who had attended music festivals abroad, 38% had used nitrous oxide.
Earlier this year, An Garda SÍochána warned parents that may suspect their children are using nitrous oxide to “advise them to stop immediately”.
Gardaí in Co. Meath reported finding upward of 360 empty nitrous oxide cannisters per week across the county.