Customs seize untaxed tobacco
Authorities intercepted a tobacco smuggling case after discovering a commercial vehicle carrying a large quantity of untaxed tobacco on the Limassol-Larnaca highway.
The Customs Department reported that officers seized:
- 12 packs of 1 kg and 24 packs of 250 g of hookah tobacco (total 18 kg)
- 120 packs of 50 g of rolling tobacco (total 6 kg)
Vehicle stopped for traffic violations
On 29 January, Traffic Police stopped the commercial vehicle with Turkish Cypriot plates near Kofinou for traffic violations. During inspection of the storage area, officers found cartons containing hookah and rolling tobacco. The packaging lacked health warnings in both Greek and Turkish, indicating the products were untaxed.
Customs officials were immediately notified to carry out the counting and seizure of the tobacco.
Driver arrested, then released
The Turkish Cypriot female driver was arrested for immediate offences, and the vehicle used to transport the illegal tobacco was also seized.
She was later released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, paying €6,500 for the offences and €500 for the return of the vehicle.
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