Police in Nicosia arrested a 40-year-old man after stopping his car in Engomi and finding 396 boxes of untaxed cigarettes and heated tobacco products inside.
Members of the Nicosia Crime Prevention Unit carried out the search operation on September 16 and 17, acting on information indicating the illegal possession, distribution and sale of untaxed tobacco products, along with suspected VAT evasion. Officers intercepted the man while he was driving in the Engomi area.
A search of his car turned up 301 boxes of heated tobacco cigarettes, 95 boxes of cigarettes, €2,400 in cash and two mobile phones.
Once officers confirmed the products were untaxed, they arrested the man and took him to the Customs Department’s offices in Nicosia, where the seized items and his vehicle, which was also impounded, were handed over. Customs officers issued him with a €20,000 out-of-court settlement notice for possessing the untaxed products.
