https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cigarette-prices-could-soar-to-€7-50-smuggling-set-to-spike
Cigarette smokers in Cyprus may soon feel a heavier pinch in their wallets if proposed European tax changes go ahead, industry officials warned this week....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-customs-crack-down-on-fake-condoms-24-000-confiscated
Customs officers have pulled the plug on thousands of counterfeit condoms in Famagusta, seizing more than 24,000 knockoffs from a warehouse and a local store....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/smuggled-tobacco-from-occupied-north-seized-on-limassol–larnaca-highway
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 north, highlighting once again the challenges authorities face in policing illicit trade across Cyprus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/customs-seize-210-cartons-at-larnaca-airport
Three passengers heading for the UK got an unexpected boarding delay on Monday after customs officers at Larnaca Airport opened their luggage and found it packed with cigarettes, not clothes....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/europol-in-cyprus-to-boost-fight-against-organized-crime
A delegation from Europol is in Cyprus this week, marking a key step in the police force’s push to modernize how it tackles serious and organized crime....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/drugs-hidden-in-plain-sight-as-authorities-seize-narcotics-soaked-paper-sheets
Cyprus police have arrested a 68-year-old man in Larnaca district after uncovering a large quantity of paper believed to be infused with narcotic substances....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/us-claims-capture-of-venezuela-s-president-after-large-scale-strikes-on-caracas
The United States has carried out what President Donald Trump described as a “large-scale strike” on Venezuela, claiming that US forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them out of the country....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-shuts-down-smuggling-routes-slashes-irregular-migration-86
Cyprus has reduced irregular migrant arrivals by about 86% over the past three years, while sharply increasing returns, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Nikolas Ioannides said....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/trying-to-sneak-tobacco-into-cyprus-customs-just-sent-a-€2-000-message
Customs officers at Larnaca Airport stopped a 29-year-old passenger earlier this month after discovering large quantities of tobacco and electronic cigarettes hidden in his luggage, the latest in a string of cases highlighting how often undeclared smoking products try to slip through Cyprus’ entry points....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/when-the-prison-becomes-the-crime-headquarters
Cyprus’ Central Prisons have spent the past few years under a harsh spotlight, not because of what happens inside a normal correctional facility, but because of a string of security failures, leaked classified files, and inmate deaths that have pushed the system to its breaking point....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-moves-ahead-with-‘cypriot-fbi-to-tackle-organized-crime
The government is moving ahead with plans to create a Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, a new service that’s already being casually branded the ''Cypriot FBI.''...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/spike-in-raw-meat-smuggling-worries-customs
Cyprus’ Customs Department is sounding the alarm after two back-to-back cases of raw meat being brought from the occupied north into the Republic, a practice officials warn poses serious public health risks....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/authorities-seize-over-10-000-cartons-of-untaxed-cigarettes-in-two-larnaca-incidents
Larnaca law enforcement and customs officials intercepted two rental commercial vehicles carrying massive quantities of untaxed tobacco products in what may be linked smuggling cases. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/woman-caught-smuggling-cocaine-in-bra-and-underwear-at-larnaca-airport
Police seized more than half a kilo of cocaine at Larnaca airport on Monday, arresting a 23-year-old woman who allegedly tried to smuggle the drugs into Cyprus by hiding them on, and inside, her body....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-tax-hike-could-make-smoking-a-luxury-greece-pushes-back
Smokers in Europe may soon feel the pinch in their wallets. The European Commission is proposing a massive increase in taxes on cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and even e-cigarettes, and Greece is sounding the alarm....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/israeli-navy-seizes-gaza-aid-flotilla-arrests-greta-thunberg
The Israeli navy intercepted several boats carrying aid to Gaza overnight, arresting dozens of activists on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The move triggered a wave of protests and condemnation from governments worldwide....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/24-year-old-syrian-wanted-by-police-for-human-smuggling
Authorities have issued a public alert for 24-year-old Ihab Al Mistu from Syria, who is wanted in connection with ongoing investigations into human smuggling and related crimes....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/undercover-sting-nabs-abbot-in-greek-antiquities-smuggling-scandal
An undercover police operation in northern Peloponnese has exposed an antiquities smuggling ring with a plot straight out of a crime thriller, and at the center of it all, the abbot of the famed Mega Spilaio Monastery....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/puff-daddy-octogenarian-s-fifth-cigarette-smuggling-case-in-six-weeks
The Nicosia District Court fined an 80-year-old man €8,000 after he was caught smuggling a large quantity of untaxed cigarettes through the Agios Dometios crossing, customs authorities said....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-deputy-minister-denies-torture-of-migrants-in-buffer-zone
Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Nikolas Ioannidis on Friday denied allegations of torture involving migrants stranded in Cyprus’s Buffer Zone, saying their basic needs were met and their lives were never in danger....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-sees-sharp-drop-in-asylum-applications-ranks-8th-in-eu-for-reduction
Cyprus recorded a 42% decline in asylum applications in 2024, receiving 6,750 claims, according to the European Migration Network’s Annual Report on Asylum and Migration....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/denmark-deploys-robotic-sailboats-for-baltic-and-north-sea-surveillance
Denmark’s military has launched a trial using four uncrewed robotic sailboats, called “Voyagers,” to boost surveillance in the Baltic and North Seas amid rising maritime tensions. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/coast-guard-fires-warning-shots-in-boat-chase-15-migrants-found
A high-speed maritime chase involving warning shots took place early Wednesday after a suspected migrant-smuggling boat attempted to flee from authorities and ram a coast guard vessel, police said....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-launches-voluntary-return-plan-for-syrians-ready-to-return-home
The Cypriot government on Thursday rolled out a new voluntary repatriation plan for Syrian families who wish to return home, as the country begins to rebuild in the wake of a long civil war....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/banana-container-concealed-€1-6m-in-cocaine-greek-authorities-say-video
Authorities in Thessaloniki have seized nearly 58 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a shipping container carrying bananas from Ecuador, officials said Tuesday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-intercept-migrant-boat-off-cape-greco-one-arrested
Authorities located 21 migrants from Syria off the coast of Cape Greco early Monday and arrested a 33-year-old man suspected of smuggling them....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/if-we-keep-going-like-this-no-one-will-have-a-better-life-in-europe-finnish-minister
Finland’s Interior Minister Marie Radanen didn’t mince words when speaking about Europe’s migration challenges, warning that the current path could lead to a breakdown of the very future so many seek here....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-trafficking-ring-repurposed-seized-boats-to-smuggle-migrants
Greek authorities have uncovered a human trafficking network that repurposed seized boats for smuggling migrants, exposing a shocking loophole in maritime enforcement....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-repatriates-18-000-migrants-since-christodoulides-took-office
For the first time, Cyprus has managed to repatriate more migrants than those who entered the country, marking a significant shift in its migration policy...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/14-mobile-phones-found-hidden-in-refrigerator-for-inmate-says-prison-department
Authorities discovered 14 mobile phones and 12 charging cables carefully concealed inside the insulation of a small refrigerator intended for an inmate....
