Newsroom
What began as a routine traffic stop on the Limassol–Larnaca motorway ended in a seizure of untaxed tobacco believed to have been transported from the occupied north, highlighting once again the challenges authorities face in policing illicit trade across Cyprus.
Traffic Police officers stopped a commercial vehicle with Turkish Cypriot registration plates on January 29 near Kofinou for traffic violations. During a check of the vehicle’s storage area, officers found cardboard boxes packed with large quantities of hookah and rolling cigarette tobacco.
The products immediately raised suspicions. None of the packages carried mandatory health warnings in Greek and Turkish, a key requirement for legally sold tobacco in the Republic of Cyprus and a strong indication that the goods had not been declared or taxed.
Customs officers were called to the scene and seized a total of 24 kilograms of tobacco, 18 kilograms of hookah tobacco, and 6 kilograms of rolling cigarette tobacco, destined for illegal sale, according to authorities.
The driver, a Turkish Cypriot woman, was arrested for flagrant offenses, while the vehicle was also confiscated as the means of transporting the contraband.
She was later released after requesting an out-of-court settlement. Authorities accepted the request, imposing a €6,500 fine, along with an additional €500 fee for the return of the vehicle.
The case is proof of the continued flow of untaxed goods from the north to the south, a persistent issue tied to price differences and limited oversight across the divide, and one that customs officials say remains a priority for enforcement.
