Not just links to the IRA. Pretty much everyone is at it. I know loads of people who will drive over the border, and fill up a few drums of diesel, just for themselves. Even big haulage firms pay drivers to take the trucks, unladen, over and fill them up to save them buying fuel in the north. Its totally legal and nothing the government can do about it. Smuggling etc isnt costing the government the money. It is the government who is throwing the money away, buy being so greedy. If taxes were set at sensible levels, then this so called crime would not happen. It is true that a lot of filling stations are closing due to so many selling illegal fuel, and not being able to compete. Even Shell owned filling stations have closed down, in part becasue forecourt insurance more than doubled, but also they claim becaus they cannot compete with those stations who sell illegal fuel.
The real criminals are the government. They are the ones robbing us, asking for extortionately high taxes. Is it any wonder we are buying fuel down south, or using red/laundered fuel.
They will claim they want free trade across europe etc...but then if we bring fuel up from down south, we are smuggling it??? Figure that one out. Free trade my dick. The governemnt only wants our money