Smuggled cigarettes seized

Customs on Wednesday seized 301 cartons each containing 200 cigarettes from a passenger arriving at Larnaca airport on a flight from Moscow, they said.

The three passengers, all women, were later remanded for two days by the Larnaca district court.

According to customs, the women, of Russian origin, arrived on the flight at 7.20am. The cigarettes with the brand names NZ Gold and Corona were found in their luggage. They were worth €7,500 in duties, customs said.

The women were arrested for failure to declare duty-free items, the illegal possession of duty-free items and the fraudulent evasion of duties and taxes. Customs said passengers coming in from non-EU countries are allowed to carry only one carton, or 200 cigarettes, or 250 grammes of tobacco.

 

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