Newsroom
A passenger arriving from Switzerland was forced to pay more than €29,000 at Larnaca Airport after customs officers found two undeclared luxury watches valued at over €100,000 in his luggage.
According to a statement from the Customs Department, the 43-year-old Greek Cypriot was stopped for inspection on April 22 after arriving from Basel. The inspection was carried out based on prior intelligence.
“During the inspection, two luxury watches worth €104,246 were found, which had not been declared by the passenger for the payment of applicable duties and taxes,” the department said.
The watches were initially confiscated but later returned to the passenger after he agreed to an out-of-court settlement. As part of the settlement, he paid €7,620, in addition to €19,809 in duties and taxes, and a €1,981 fine.
In a separate incident, the department reported that on April 19, a 48-year-old Greek Cypriot appeared at Larnaca Airport’s Customs Office accompanied by police, following a court-authorized search of his home. Officers discovered large quantities of untaxed tobacco products.
Customs officers seized 29 cartons of 200 cigarettes, six cartons of 200 heated cigarettes, and 20 packets of rolling tobacco weighing a total of 975 grams. The products lacked required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as safety features and unique traceability codes, indicating they had not been taxed.
The man was arrested for flagrant offenses but was later released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, paying €2,800.
The seized tobacco products were surrendered and will be destroyed, the department said.
