Labubu dolls, wine, weapons and drugs seized by Irish Revenue

Fake Labubu dolls, drugs, weapons and wine were among the contraband with an estimated street value of over €340k (£292k) seized in the Republic of Ireland in the last week.

Revenue Irish Tax and Customs said the items were seized in various operations in Dublin, the Midlands and Rosslare.

During the searches, 200 Labubu dolls and 374 other counterfeit items totalling more than €90,000 were seized along with 1.59 kg of herbal cannabis, about 11,340 litres of red wine, an airsoft sub-machine gun and a nunchuk.

The parcels were sent from the USA, Thailand and the UK to various addresses in Ireland

Among the counterfeit goods were some branded Adidas, Birkenstock, Cartier, Moncler, Nike and Louis Vuitton items.

The wine, branded ISKAR Rara Neagra, which has a retail value of more than €138,325, was seized on a ferry from France at Rosslare Europort last Thursday.

Other drugs seized included; cannabis oil, edibles, synthetic cannabinoids, MDMA, ketamine.

Labubu is both a fictional character and a brand. The word itself doesn’t mean anything. It’s the name of a character in “The Monsters” toy series created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung.

The vinyl faces are attached to plush bodies, and come with a signature look – pointy ears, big eyes and a mischievous grin showing exactly nine teeth. A curious yet divided internet can’t seem to decide if they are adorable or bizarre.

According to its retailer’s official website, Labubu is “kind-hearted and always wants to help, but often accidentally achieves the opposite”.

The Labubu dolls have appeared in several series of “The Monsters”, such as “Big into Energy”, “Have a Seat”, “Exciting Macaron” and “Fall in Wild”.

According to Forbes, the popularity of Labubu dolls helped parent company Pop Mart more than double its total revenue to £1.33bn ($1.81bn) last year.