A cigarette smuggling ring operating from the occupied territories to Israel via the Republic of Cyprus appears to be behind the increased number of seizures recorded over the past two months at border crossings.
Read also: “Ant-like” Smuggling: Customs Department “Spots” Cigarette Ring from Occupied Territories to Israel
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
This is the assessment of the Customs Department, which, during an inspection conducted yesterday at the Deryneia checkpoint, caught an Israeli man traveling in a Turkish Cypriot taxi to Larnaca Airport to transport15 cartons of cigarettes and 3 kilograms of hookah tobacco in his vehicle.
“What concerns us is this upward trend that has been evident over the past two months, and it appears that they are all part of a ring which operates in the occupied territories and appears either to be employing certain individuals to transport the tobacco products or to be part of an organized operation to transport tobacco products from the occupied territories to other countries.”
George Konstantinou, Press Officer for the Customs Department
The ring appears to be using the “ant” method.
“That is, transporting very small quantities of cigarettes instead of large shipments, as was traditionally done in shipping containers or in large quantities—either in bulk or in trucks. It appears that this method is preferred over using many individuals, who carry smaller quantities of contraband cigarettes and clearly originate from the occupied territories and are bound for various other countries.”
George Konstantinou, Customs Department Spokesperson
In June, tobacco seizures at border crossings involving Israelis accounted for 14% of the total, while in July the corresponding percentage reached 24.5%.
See the report by Rafaella Stavrinou
