On 5/11/2024, during checks at the Agios Dometios checkpoint, officers from the Customs Department stopped a vehicle driven by a 24-year-old Greek Cypriot.
Upon inspection of the vehicle, it was found that large quantities of tobacco products were hidden underneath and behind the rear seats.
Specifically, 23 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, 36 cartons of heated cigarettes, and 2 kilograms and 475 grams of rolling tobacco were discovered and seized. These items lacked the health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as the security feature and unique traceability code, indicating that they were untaxed and unregulated.
The driver was arrested on the spot for offences, and the vehicle was confiscated as the means of transporting the tobacco products. He was later released after paying €4,500 as an out-of-court settlement for the offences, and his vehicle was released upon the payment of a €500 release fee.
Also read: Cyprus: young people obtain nicotine pouches from kiosks