The Customs Department investigated two cases of possession and trafficking of untaxed tobacco products in Limassol and Nicosia in recent days, seizing large quantities of cigarettes, heated tobacco products and rolling tobacco, and arresting two people.
According to a Customs Department announcement, officers at Limassol Customs were informed on July 26 by Crime Prevention Unit members of a suspicious quantity of tobacco products found in a vehicle belonging to a 64-year-old Greek Cypriot man in Limassol.
The check found 51 boxes of cigarettes, 83 boxes of heated tobacco products and 1.7kg of rolling tobacco. Customs officers found that the products did not carry the legally required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, nor the security feature and unique traceability code, indicating they were untaxed.
The 64-year-old was arrested for in-flagrante offences, and the tobacco products and his vehicle were seized. He was later released after his offer of an out-of-court settlement of €6,500, plus a further €500 for the return of his vehicle, was accepted. The seized products will be destroyed in accordance with legal procedure.
In a second operation, on July 28, officers from the Customs Headquarters Investigations Sector, acting on an intelligence assessment and with a judicial warrant, searched a kiosk and the home of a 53-year-old Greek Cypriot man in Nicosia.
The searches found a total of 137 boxes of cigarettes, 17 boxes of heated tobacco products and 6.5kg of rolling tobacco. In this case too, the products were found not to carry the required markings and security features, indicating they were untaxed.
The 53-year-old was arrested for in-flagrante offences, and the tobacco products were seized. He was later released after accepting an out-of-court settlement of €12,000. The seized tobacco products will be destroyed in accordance with the prescribed procedures.
Read more:
