Israeli national fined for smuggling tobacco at Deryneia crossing

On August 12, 2026, customs officers at the Deryneia crossing point intercepted a Turkish Cypriot taxi transporting an Israeli national bound for Larnaca Airport. During a routine check under the Green Line Regulation, authorities discovered 15 cartons of cigarettes (totaling 3,000) and three one-kilogram packs of shisha tobacco in the passenger's luggage. The items lacked mandatory health warnings, security features, and traceability codes, leading authorities to categorize them as untaxed and illicit.

The passenger was initially arrested for customs offenses but was released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement of 2,000 euros. The seized tobacco has been confiscated for destruction. The Customs Department stated that this incident is part of a concerning two-month upward trend of similar cases involving Israeli nationals smuggling tobacco from the occupied territories into the Republic of Cyprus. Officials suspect the involvement of an 'ant smuggling' network, where multiple individuals transport small, frequent quantities to evade detection and facilitate onward transit to Israel.