Cypriot customs officers have intensified luggage screening at the island’s two main gateways after intercepting more than 390 cartons of duty-free cigarettes in separate incidents just days apart. On Sunday, officers at Paphos International Airport arrested two British passengers bound for Liverpool when X-ray scans revealed 42,000 cigarettes—210 cartons—hidden in their suitcases. The men appeared in district court on Monday and face fines and forfeiture of the goods. The Paphos bust followed a similar find at Larnaca Airport that became public on Monday morning: two travellers heading for Manchester and London were caught with 180 cartons and 98 packs of untaxed cigarettes, respectively. One suspect is being held for three days; the other accepted an on-the-spot €600 settlement. Neither haul carried the bilingual Greek-Turkish health warnings or traceability codes required under EU tobacco-tracking rules, leading investigators to conclude the products originated in third countries outside the EU excise system. Customs says the seizures form part of an island-wide campaign ahead of the winter holiday rush, when couriers attempt to exploit larger baggage allowances to smuggle tobacco into the UK. For legitimate travellers the immediate impact is longer queues at manual screening lines, especially for non-EU passports and flights to Britain and Israel during evening peaks. Hermes Airports advises passengers to arrive at least two hours before departure and to expect random inspections even after clearing security. Airlines have been briefed to warn passengers that excess tobacco will lead to arrest, confiscation and possible travel bans under Cyprus’ Customs Code. Multinationals shipping duty-free stock to staff should verify that courier consignments remain within diplomatic allowances.
Source: Cyprus Mail / ANT1 Live
