Bases crack down on smuggling

MORE than 350,000 cigarettes and other contraband have been seized by British Bases (SBA) customs since restrictions on the freedom of movement restrictions were partially lifted by the Turkish Cypriot side last April, an SBA statement said yesterday.

In the most recent case, the SBA yesterday charged a 36-year-old Greek national with smuggling 5,200 cigarettes across the ceasefire line into the mixed village of Pyla near Larnaca.

Demetrios Neophytides had been detained last month after SBA customs officers carrying out random searches allegedly discovered the cigarettes in his car.
Neophytides yesterday pleaded not guilty and was released on a £500 bail. His car was seized.

He is due to appear before court on January 26, where he faces a heavy fine or custodial sentence if found guilty.

SBA customs officer in charge, Lee Reid, said his outfit was working hard to ensure all crossing points were effectively covered.

Since last April, SBA officers have seized more than 350,000 cigarettes as well as alcohol and other contraband.

“We are stepping up our efforts all of the time and this arrest goes to prove that the hard work is paying off,” Reid said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.