Customs seized thousands of tobacco products from north

The customs department has seized thousands of packages with cigarettes and tobacco products from the north, it said on Thursday.

The department said three Turkish Cypriots were stopped at the airport in Larnaca on their way to London on Sunday, where authorities found a total of 90,050g of tobacco in their luggage.

A total of 64 boxes of Amber leaf and Old Holborn tobacco (12,800 packages) and cigarettes were seized.

According to the customs department, the tobacco products did not have the proper warnings on the packaging and the security and tracing tags.

The three individuals were arrested, as the customs charge of the items seized amounted to €19,476.

On Monday, the three were brought to court, which issued a three-day remand.

However, the next day they were brought back to court to be charged. The Larnaca court found them guilty and charged them a fine of €1,700.

Meanwhile, in another incident on Monday, customs agents found a Greek Cypriot crossing from the Ayios Dometios checkpoint with 36 boxes of cigarettes from the north, containing 7,200 packages. The individual also had 1,400g of tobacco and one box of tobacco sticks.

The individual was arrested and the items were seized by customs.

As part of the investigation a search was carried out in a livestock property maintained by the same person in a village of Larnaca District, where 119 boxes (23,800 packages) of cigarettes, 43 boxes (8,600 packages) of tobacco sticks and 9,950 grams of tobacco were identified and seized.

The total customs burden amounted to €8,059.

Following the suspect’s request, the director of customs accepted the out-of-court settlement for the customs offences committed, with the payment of a total amount of €13,700.

His vehicle was returned to its owner with the payment of €300 and with the out-of-court settlement of the case, the man was released.

The customs department said that the products will be destroyed.