Tourists remanded for smuggling cigarettes

Four tourists have been remanded after they attempted to leave the island with almost 300 cartons of duty-free cigarettes, police said on Wednesday.

Three women, aged 59, 54 and 53, and a 52-year-old man, were arrested at Paphos airport on Monday night after customs officers found in total 280 cartons of duty-free cigarettes in their luggage.

It is understood that each of them carried 70 of those cartons in their individual suitcase.

The four appeared before the Paphos district court and were remanded for three days on Tuesday. They are faced with charges related to trafficking duty-free tobacco products.

Police believe the cigarettes may have been purchased from the north.