Man arrested for cigarette smuggling

A 49-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, after police found a large quantity of smuggled cigarettes in his possession.

Acting on a court order, officers pulled over the 49-year old at around 9am and confiscated two cartons of smuggled cigarettes. Upon further investigation, police found a van parked at the house of a relative, loaded with 1,214 cigarette cartons, 7 packs of cigarettes and 295 50gramme tobacco packs.

Police were led to the 49-year-old after receiving an anonymous tip.

Another 88 cartons and 5 tobacco packs were discovered at a third vehicle.

According to Customs and Excise officials, the cigarettes appear to have originated from the non-government controlled areas.

The suspect is expected to appear before court on Wednesday.

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.