Customs make seven big tobacco busts in July

The Customs Department made seven big busts in July, confiscating duty free tobacco products, mainly brought illegally from the north to the south, with the biggest haul being 4,082 cartons of 200 cigarettes.

The duty and taxes for these exceeded €190,000.

On July 1, a ‘taxi’ registered in the north, driven by a Turkish Cypriot with two British passengers, was checked at Ayios Dhometios crossing point in Nicosia.

Customs found 195 cartons of 200 cigarettes each in their luggage, as well as 2kg and 450gr of rolling tobacco, which bore neither the warning against smoking in Greek or Turkish nor the security tab and barcode.

The tobacco products were considered duty free and confiscated.

Both passengers were arrested and the vehicle was confiscated as a means of transporting the tobacco products.

They were later released, one having paid €5,500 and the other €5,000 as an out-of-court settlement. The vehicle was returned to the driver for €500.

On July 7, premises in Limassol were searched and 21kg and 810gr of nargileh tobacco were confiscated, as they did not bear warnings in Greek and Turkish, indicating they were duty free.

The owner of the premises was arrested and released later for €8,000 as an out-of-court settlement.

On July 9, police searched a vehicle in Paphos and found 15 cartons of 200 cigarettes each and 950gr of rolling tobacco, where were considered to be duty free.

The driver was arrested and his vehicle confiscated.

He was later released for a €1,300 out-of-court settlement and his vehicle was returned for €500.

On July 11, premises in the Nicosia district were searched and police found large quantities of tobacco products in the premises and inside a vehicle.

The customs counted 4,082 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, 125kg of rolling tobacco and 775 packs of vaping products, all considered to be duty free.

The duty and taxes for the products found exceeded €190,000.

The suspect, who had troubled the police on many occasions, was arrested and placed in custody for four days.

He was later released pending his trial.

On July 12, the luggage of a passenger for London at Paphos airport was searched and 45 packs of 200 cigarettes each, as well as 3kg and 750gr of rolling tobacco, considered to be duty free, were confiscated.

The passenger was arrested and released later, having paid €4,500 for an out-of-court settlement.

On July 15, the luggage of four passengers for London with British passports was searched at Paphos airport and a total of 280 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, considered to be duty free, were confiscated.

All four passengers, each of whom was found to have 70 packs in their luggage, were arrested and released later for €4,300 each as an out-of-court settlement.

On July 23, during random checks of vehicles at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point in Nicosia, customs found and confiscated 13 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, as well as 1kg and 450gr of rolling tobacco.

The driver was arrested and his vehicle confiscated.

He was later released for €1,300 as an out-of-court settlement and his vehicle was returned for €500.