The Customs Department, during checks carried out on the luggage of 3 Turkish Cypriot passengers who would depart on September 27 and 28 from Larnaca Airport for the United Kingdom, identified and confiscated a large quantity of duty-free tobacco products, which were illegally transported from the occupied to the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus for the purpose of exporting and selling them to the United Kingdom.
Specifically:
1) On 27/9/2023, during the check of a passenger's luggage bound for London, a total of 24 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 3 kg of tobacco for rolling cigarettes were found which did not bear the markings about the harmful effects of smoking in Greek and Turkish but neither the security feature nor the unique traceability code, indications that they were duty-free. The passenger was arrested for an unprovoked crime and after his request for an out-of-court settlement of the case with the payment of €2,500 was accepted, he was released.
2) On 27/9/2023 during the check of the baggage of another passenger bound for Manchester, a total of 87 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 12,5 kg of tobacco for rolling cigarettes were detected which did not bear the marking on the harmfulness of smoking in Greek and Turkish language but neither the security feature nor the unique traceability code, indications that they were duty free. The passenger was arrested for a self-inflicted offense and on 29/9/2023 he was brought to court which imposed a fine of €7,000 on him.
3) On 28/9/2023, during the baggage check of a passenger bound for London, a total of 30 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 25 kg of tobacco for rolling cigarettes were found, which did not bear the labeling of the harmful effects of smoking in Greek and Turkish
language but neither the security feature nor the unique traceability code, indications that they were duty free.
The passenger was arrested for an unprovoked crime and after his request for an out-of-court settlement of the case with the payment of €9,000 was accepted, he was released.
