Newsroom
Customs officers at Paphos Airport seized thousands of illegal cigarettes on Monday after stopping a Greek Cypriot man heading to London.
The 26-year-old was flagged for screening just before boarding his flight to the UK. During the baggage check, officers discovered 119 boxes, each holding 200 cigarettes and totaling nearly 24,000 smokes.
Authorities said the cigarette packs lacked key safety markings and warnings in Greek and Turkish, along with a missing security feature and traceability code. These are all required to show that tobacco products are taxed and legal in Cyprus. Their absence was a clear sign the cigarettes were likely bought duty-free and not meant for resale.
The man was arrested on the spot. However, he later agreed to abandon the seized cigarettes so they could be destroyed. He was released after paying an €8,000 fine as part of an out-of-court settlement.
Customs officials said the operation was part of their routine checks aimed at cracking down on illegal tobacco trade, which hurts both public health and state revenues.
