Cash, drugs and undeclared goods seized at crossing points

Authorities seized large sums of cash, tobacco products, drugs and animal goods during a series of checks at crossing points in Nicosia and Famagusta districts, the customs department said on Monday.

According to an official announcement, customs officers at the Ayios Dhometios crossing on March 12 stopped a vehicle driven by a woman of Russian origin holding Cypriot citizenship, accompanied by another woman of similar background.

A search of the vehicle uncovered two cartons of cigarettes, 12 cartons of heated tobacco products and rolling tobacco, none of which bore the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, indicating duty had not been paid.

Officers also discovered €150,000 in cash inside a bag belonging to the passenger. The women failed to provide satisfactory explanations or documentation regarding the origin and intended use of the money.

Both were arrested and the tobacco products and the vehicle were seized. They were later released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement of €600, while the cash was retained for further investigation in cooperation with police and the anti-money laundering unit (Mokas).

Later the same evening, customs officers at Ayios Dhometios stopped another vehicle driven by a Greek national. During the search, officers found a small quantity of cannabis, a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine (“crystal”), a grinder and two vaping devices used for drug consumption.

The driver was arrested and handed over to the drug squad (Ykan) along with the seized items.

In a separate incident on March 15 at the Dherynia crossing, customs officers stopped a vehicle driven by a foreign national with Cypriot citizenship. A search revealed undeclared animal products in violation of Green Line regulations.

The items confiscated included three litres of a dairy drink (ayran), 700 grams of cheese, 1.3kg of salami and nearly 4.75kg of fresh chicken.

Customs authorities said all goods were seized as part of ongoing efforts to enforce regulations at crossing points.