Newsroom
A package addressed to a monastery became one of the more unusual finds during a customs inspection in Limassol that also uncovered 1,440 cannabis-flavoured lollipops and a large quantity of suspected counterfeit goods.
The parcel initially appeared unremarkable. It had been declared as containing personal belongings, but customs officers found perfumes and sunglasses bearing well-known brand names that were suspected to be imitations.
What caught investigators' attention was the shipping information. The sender and recipient were listed as the same private individual, while the label on the box named the Holy Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou as the destination.
The discovery was made during a random inspection of three containers that had arrived from Greece and were being handled at a transport company's premises in Limassol. Customs officers were working alongside members of the drug squad as part of efforts to intercept illegal goods entering Cyprus.
Among the items seized were 1,440 cannabis-flavoured lollipops in various flavours. The sweets have been sent to the State General Laboratory for analysis.
Officers also detained shipments containing large quantities of children's toys carrying well-known brand names that were suspected of violating intellectual property rights. The toys were destined for two separate companies and were transferred to customs warehouses for further examination.
All of the goods have been detained while investigations continue, though it was the monastery-labelled package that stood out from an already unusual haul.
