Limassol, Cyprus. Customs officers seized large quantities of suspected duty-free tobacco products in separate operations in Limassol and Nicosia, leading to the arrests of two Greek Cypriot men.
Both men were later released after reaching out-of-court settlements with customs authorities, while the seized tobacco products are to be destroyed.
Limassol operation
Police alerted Limassol customs officers on Sunday after searching the vehicle of a 64-year-old man.
Officers found 51 cartons of cigarettes, 83 cartons of heated cigarettes and 1.7kg of rolling tobacco.
Customs said the products did not carry the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish and lacked security features and traceability codes, indicating that duty had not been paid.
The man was arrested and the tobacco products and his vehicle were seized. He was later released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, paying €6,500 and a further €500 to recover his vehicle.
Nicosia operation
In a separate operation on Tuesday, customs investigators searched a kiosk and a private residence in Nicosia linked to a 53-year-old man.
They seized 137 cartons of cigarettes, 17 cartons of heated cigarettes and 6.5kg of rolling tobacco.
The suspect was arrested and later released after paying €12,000 in an out-of-court settlement. Customs said the seized tobacco products from both cases will be destroyed.