Newsroom
What began as a routine check at the Deryneia crossing has deepened suspicions that an organized network is moving untaxed cigarettes from the occupied areas, through the Republic, and onward to Israel.
Customs officers stopped a Turkish Cypriot taxi on Wednesday that was carrying an Israeli passenger to Larnaca airport. When officers searched the passenger’s luggage, they found 15 cartons containing a total of 3,000 cigarettes, along with three one-kilo packages of hookah tobacco.
The products did not carry the required Greek and Turkish health warnings, security markings, or unique tracking codes, all signs that the tobacco had not been properly taxed.
The cigarettes and tobacco were seized and will be destroyed. The passenger was initially arrested but later released after paying €2,000 to settle the case out of court.
Customs officials say the suitcase may be part of a much bigger picture.
Figures from Green Line crossing points show a worrying rise over the past two months in cases involving Israeli nationals allegedly carrying tobacco products from the occupied areas with the intention of taking them to Israel.
In June, Israeli nationals were involved in 41 of the 288 tobacco seizures recorded at crossing points, accounting for 14% of all cases. However, the cigarettes found in those cases represented about 30% of the total seized that month, 22,080 out of 72,620.
The trend became even more pronounced in July. Israeli nationals were involved in 46 of 188 cases, or 24.5%, and accounted for almost half of all cigarettes seized: 20,980 out of 42,050.
Customs believes the figures may point to a change in tactics by a suspected smuggling network first detected following two major seizures in February and November 2025. At the time, tobacco products appeared to be transported in large quantities by boats and ships sailing from Cyprus to Israel.
Now, authorities believe the smugglers may have switched to what is known as “ant smuggling.”
The method is exactly what it sounds like: Instead of risking one large shipment, a network uses numerous people to carry smaller quantities, making repeated journeys like a trail of ants. Each load may appear relatively minor, but together they can add up to a sizeable and profitable operation.
For Customs, the challenge is now to establish whether passengers caught with cigarettes are acting alone or are simply small links in a much longer chain.
