Turkish Cypriot Caught at Larnaca Airport with a Large Quantity of Tobacco Products

A Turkish Cypriot man was detained at Larnaca Airport after customs officers discovered a significant quantity of smuggled cigarettes and tobacco, reportedly brought from the TRNC. He was attempting to illegally transport the tobacco products to the United Kingdom.

According to the police press office, the 40-year-old suspect was scheduled to board a flight to the UK on Monday. However, during a routine inspection, customs officers found 83 boxes in his luggage, each containing 200 cigarettes, along with approximately 11 kilograms of rolling tobacco.

The confiscated products did not feature the mandatory health warnings in Greek or Turkish, nor did they have the unique tracking codes required for tobacco products legally sold in the Republic of Cyprus.

The suspect was arrested, and the tobacco products were seized. On Tuesday, he was brought before the Larnaca District Court, which ordered his detention for two days. Following this, the suspect relinquished his claim to the confiscated goods and was released after paying a €7,000 out-of-court settlement. The seized tobacco products are scheduled to be destroyed.

Related: Learn how many cigarettes you can take out of Cyprus and what cannot be brought across the Green Line from the TRNC.