Newsroom
A 75-year-old man arrested in Dali is now being investigated as a possible suspect in the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in Larnaca, in what officials describe as a serious and fast-developing case.
Customs authorities said new information received Thursday suggests the man may have been involved for years in transporting hay, animals and machinery from the occupied north into the government-controlled areas. The details are being forwarded to police for urgent investigation.
“This information is particularly serious,” Customs spokesperson George Constantinou said in televised remarks. He added that authorities are examining whether the man could be a “key person” in the alleged transfer of the highly contagious livestock disease.
According to Constantinou, Customs information also indicates the suspect may be the same individual arrested on Dec. 19 in the occupied north, when he and two Turkish Cypriots allegedly attempted to move animals across the divide. Turkish Cypriot media have further claimed that nine dairy calves were transported in recent days, though that has not been independently confirmed by authorities in the Republic.
The development comes just hours after the man had been released in connection with a separate case. He was initially arrested Wednesday at around 4:20 p.m. in Dali while crossing from the occupied areas into the Republic.
During a search of his vehicle, customs officers found 203 cartons of cigarettes, 30 cartons of heated tobacco products, nearly four kilos of loose tobacco for hand-rolled cigarettes, and one kilo of hookah tobacco. The goods were duty-free and transported in boxes and bags.
At first glance, it appeared to be a straightforward tobacco smuggling case. But the new intelligence has dramatically shifted the focus, from unpaid duties to a potential biosecurity breach.
Foot-and-mouth disease spreads rapidly among cattle, sheep and goats and can cripple farms within days. Even the possibility of unauthorized animal movements linked to an outbreak is enough to set off alarm bells across the agricultural sector.
