7.73 million contraband cigarettes were found hidden in a container at the Freeport, the Customs Department said on Friday.

The cigarettes were found in a container that had arrived from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was destined for Tunisia.

A number of Customs Department units were involved, including the Container Monitoring Unit, the Intellectual Property Rights Unit and the Scanning Team.

The new container scanning equipment was used in the operation.

The department confirmed that the cigarettes were counterfeit with the help of the right holders. The company that holds the rights and the trademark has filed a court application.

The department said it had already seized some 48.6 million contraband cigarettes this year, for a combined total of 56.3 million.