Cyprus customs seize 35,000 duty-unpaid cigarettes from passenger at Paphos Airport

On 1 October, Cyprus customs officers uncovered two cases involving the illegal circulation of tobacco products on which taxes had not been paid: one at Paphos Airport and the other in the Paralimni–Protaras area. Both offenders were dealt with through out-of-court settlements of €5,000.

At Paphos Airport, customs officers stopped a passenger with a British passport who was flying to Manchester. They found 175 cartons of 200 cigarettes each in his luggage — 35,000 cigarettes in total.

The packets did not have the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, security features or unique tracking codes. These are the indicators customs officers use to determine that tobacco duties have not been paid.

The passenger was detained at the scene, and his luggage and all its contents were confiscated. He was released that evening after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement and paying €5,000.

The second case was uncovered in the Paralimni–Protaras area following a joint raid with the police. Customs officers from the Deryneia checkpoint found 54 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, 9 packs of 20 cigarettes, 3 cartons of 200 heated tobacco sticks and 12 packs of rolling tobacco weighing 50 g each.

The premises’ owner was detained and also released after an out-of-court settlement of €5,000. All the seized products will be destroyed in accordance with the established procedure.