Ayia Napa, Cyprus. Hundreds of packages of smuggled tobacco products were found in a trailer in Ayia Napa on Wednesday, the customs department and police said on Thursday. The owner was not present during the operation and has not yet been found.
Trailer opened in public area
The customs department said the trailer was located in a public area. It added that the lock on the trailer was broken while Ayia Napa Mayor Christos Zannettou was present after the owner could not be found.
Products seized
The products found included 406 cigarette cartons containing 200 cigarettes each, 64 cartons with 100 cigarillos each, 40 cartons of 200-count heated cigarettes, and hundreds of packages of hookah tobacco and rolling tobacco.
Reason products were identified as smuggled
According to the customs department, the tobacco products were identified as smuggled because they did not contain the required signage in Greek and Turkish describing the dangers of smoking and did not have the typical unique traceability code used for security.
Investigation continues
The department said the investigation is ongoing, with the immediate goal of finding the owner following forensic analysis of fingerprints and DNA samples collected from the smuggled products.