Customs authorities seize illicit tobacco in Paphos and Paralimni

On October 1, 2026, customs officials in Cyprus conducted two separate operations against the smuggling of duty-free tobacco products. At Paphos Airport, authorities intercepted a British passport holder traveling to Manchester who was found with 175 cartons containing a total of 35,000 cigarettes. The items lacked mandatory health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as required security markings and traceability codes. The suspect was arrested but later released after paying a €5,000 out-of-court settlement. The seized cigarettes are slated for destruction.

In a concurrent operation, customs officials at the Deryneia crossing point, acting on information from the Paphos and Ammochostos police units, uncovered a separate quantity of illicit tobacco in a premises located in the Paralimni-Protaras area. Reports confirm that two individuals were arrested across these two cases, with both incidents resulting in administrative fines of €5,000 each. Authorities continue to monitor the distribution of illicit tobacco as part of their broader enforcement efforts.