Remands in ‘virtual’ alcohol scam

THREE people have been arrested on suspicion of forging and circulating customs documents in an alcohol scam.
During an investigation into the illegal circulation of alcoholic drinks by Customs in 2006, it was discovered that an offshore company had issued 25 customs documents relating to the importation of 25 crates containing alcoholic drinks from Holland.
These were destined for storage at a warehouse owned by a 69-year-old in Limassol.
Further checks have since proved that the crates were never imported into Cyprus, while the 25 customs documents were forged.

The aim of the scam was to sell on the ‘virtual goods’ on the black market.
The 25 crates, had they been imported, would have been worth an estimated €10 million, plus €4 million in taxes.

The 69-year-old has been arrested, along with his 63-year-old wife and 40-year-old daughter, who both work at the warehouse.

All three appeared before the Limassol District Court earlier this week, where the 69-year-old was remanded in custody for eight days.
A similar scam involving 15 crates from France and 14 from Belgium is also being investigated, again with forged documents claiming they were to be imported and sold in Cyprus.

Limassol Police are currently investigating the extent of involvement of four Cypriot companies listed on customs documents as the buyers.
The possibility that a Customs officer was involved in the scam has not yet been ruled out.

Ten other people have been arrested in connection with the case in Holland, France and Belgium.
“This is a serious and complex case, with a lot of work still needing to be done both in Cyprus and abroad,” a police spokesman 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.