Three Israelis Fined Heavily in Cyprus for Illicit Tobacco Smuggling

Cyprus Customs has fined three Israeli citizens for attempting to smuggle tobacco products exceeding legal limits. The incidents occurred on September 21. Two Israeli women were apprehended at Paphos Airport; one was found with 19 blocks of cigarettes and the other with 10, significantly over the one-block limit for travel to non-EU countries. They were released after paying fines of 1140 and 600 euros, respectively. A third Israeli man was detained at the Deryneia checkpoint, the border between the Turkish-occupied north and the Republic of Cyprus. He was traveling in a car owned by a Turkish Cypriot towards Larnaca Airport. Customs discovered 7.4 kilograms of hookah tobacco in the vehicle's luggage. This individual was fined 2600 euros. The tobacco and cigarettes lacked required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, along with serial codes, indicating unpaid taxes. Cypriot customs reported an increase in Israelis illegally transporting tobacco from the northern part of the island in recent months. Authorities noted in August that smugglers, after previous large-scale confiscations of tobacco shipped by boat to Israel, appear to have shifted to using air couriers. Israelis constituted a significant portion of those detained at border crossings between north and south Cyprus for illegal tobacco transport in June and July.