duty-free tobacco — duty-free tobacco — Four foreign nationals were fined a total of €14,400 after customs officers at Paphos International Airport discovered large quantities of duty-unpaid tobacco products in their luggage before they boarded a flight to London.
On Saturday, July 4, officers acted on a tip-off and stopped the passengers, who included two British men aged 25 and 24, and two Danish women aged 23 and 22. A search of their luggage revealed a staggering haul of 201 cartons of cigarettes, 168 individual packets, and 11.75 kilogrammes of rolling tobacco.
The tobacco products were found to lack the legally required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as the mandatory security markings and traceability codes, confirming that they were not duty-paid. This led customs officers to arrest the four passengers for the offences committed in the act, confiscating both the tobacco products and their luggage.
Following their arrest, the four individuals were released after agreeing to out-of-court settlements. The fines imposed were €2,500 for one of the Danish women, €3,900 for one of the British men, and €4,000 each for the other British man and Danish woman. The customs department confirmed that the total collected in fines amounted to €14,400.
As part of the process, the confiscated tobacco products will be destroyed in accordance with the relevant procedures. This incident highlights the ongoing efforts of customs officials to combat smuggling and ensure compliance with tobacco regulations.
