An Enniskillen man has been convicted of two counts linked to an attempt to smuggle over three million cigarettes into the Republic of Ireland.

Alan Davenport (48), from Sycamore Drive in Cavanaleck stood trial at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court where he pleaded not guilty to evading taxes and of not having tax stamps on the tobacco products.

The trial ran for four days last week, and at the end a jury found Davenport guilty of both charges. Sentencing has been adjourned until October this year.

A spokesperson for the Irish Tax and Customs office explained Davenport had been attempting to conceal the cigarettes in rolls of carpet. He said the accused had originally been arrested at Carnbeg, Kilcurry, Dundalk in November 2003, but had then left the jurisdiction.

The spokesperson added that Davenport had gone to Scotland and had been extradited back to Ireland in July 2007 using an EU arrest warrant.

This is the first time Revenue and Customs officers in the Republic of Ireland have used an EU warrant in this manner.