On October 1, 2026, officials from the Customs Department at Paphos Airport, after evaluating information, identified a passenger, a British passport holder, bound for Manchester, United Kingdom, whose luggage was found to contain large quantities of cigarettes.
Specifically, a total of 175 cartons, each containing 200 cigarettes, were found in the passenger’s luggage, the packaging of which did not bear warnings about the dangers of smoking in Greek and Turkish, nor did it include the security feature or the unique traceability code, indicating that they were duty-free.
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The passenger was arrested on the spot for these offenses, while his luggage and its contents were confiscated. Later that evening, he was released after his request for an out-of-court settlement of the case, involving the payment of €5,000, was accepted. The confiscated cigarettes will be destroyed
in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
On October 1, 2026, officials from the Customs Department at the Deryneia Crossing Point were informed by members of the Famagusta Customs Enforcement Unit that, following a raid on a property in the Paralimni–Protaras area, they had discovered large quantities of tobacco products that appeared to be untaxed.
The tobacco products and the suspect (the property owner) were taken to the Deryneia Crossing Point, where they were identified and counted. Specifically, a total of 54 cartons—each containing 200 cigarettes—9 packs—each containing 20 cigarettes— 3 cartons, each containing 200 heated cigarettes, and 12 packages of rolling tobacco, each weighing 50 grams, the packaging of which did not bear the warning about the dangers of smoking in Greek and Turkish, nor did it bear the security feature or the unique traceability code, indicating that they were untaxed.
The suspect was arrested on the spot for flagrant offenses, and the tobacco products were confiscated. Later that evening, he was released after his request for an out-of-court settlement of the case, involving the payment of €5,000, was accepted. The confiscated cigarettes will undergo the prescribed destruction process.
