JUST over half a million euro in cash has been seized by Revenue Customs officers at Cork airport in the past decade.

Figures provided in the Dáil show that €70,800 was seized at the airport last year – the highest since 2010 when €104,105 was seized.

Among the seizures last year was one of €60,000 last May. It was seized from a man travelling from Cork to Poland. He had been stopped and searched after routine profiling, according to Revenue.

The cash was hidden in a suitcase and was found with the help of a sniffer dog.

Cash seized at airports and ports is confiscated because of a suspicion that it is the proceeds of crime.

The holders of the cash can apply through the courts to have the money returned. €199,475 of the seized cash was returned to its owner on appeal.

No seized money was returned last year.

In 2017, €12,460 was returned. That sum had been among €18,160 which was seized at the airport.

In 2015, the full amount seized that year - €63,000 – was returned.

The amount seized in Cork in the past decade is higher than Kerry airport (€121,450) and close behind Shannon, where 567,351.20.

Just €144,019.18 was seized in Knock and €10,135 in Galway.

No cash was seized at Weston, Sligo, Donegal and Waterford Airports.