Smuggling ring busted, police say

By Constantinos Psillides

A SMUGGLING ring that brought over goods from the occupied areas was busted on Sunday, police said.

Four persons were arrested, according to the police report.  Two women from Larnaca aged 43 and 45, a 49-year old man also from Larnaca and a 52-year old man from Nicosia.

The 43-year old woman was arrested on Sunday noon, after police acted on a tip off. She was charged, fined €900 and then released.

The other three were taken before the Larnaca District court on Monday. The court ordered that the 49-year old man be remanded for two days while the others should be released, after paying a fine.

According to the police, the 43-year old woman was arrested after a number of suspicious items were found in her house in Larnaca..

The house was searched by officers from the Crime Prevention Unit.

Officers found 20 cartons of cigarettes, six boxes of tobacco and €47,810 in the woman’s house.

Later on Sunday police arrested the second woman, also from Larnaca, along with the two men. In her Larnaca home they said they found 80 cartons of cigarettes and 49 boxes of erectile dysfunction pills and gels.

After searching the 49-year old man’s house, police said they found 89 cartons of cigarettes, 21 boxes of tobacco, a case of cigars, 115 boxes of erectile dysfunction pills and 12 kilos of snails.

At the home of the 52-year old man in Nicosia, police found 13 cartons of cigarettes, 13 boxes of tobacco and 121 boxes of erectile dysfunction pills.

The confiscated items are estimated to be worth around €15,000.