Cannabis and untaxed tobacco seized at Ayios Dometios crossing

Customs officers on Sunday seized 12 grammes of cannabis, 50 packs of heated tobacco sticks, six cartons of cigarettes and 1.5 kilogrammes of rolling tobacco at the Ayios Dometios checkpoint.

In a statement, the Customs Department said the items were detected during routine checks of persons and vehicles crossing from the north to the government-controlled areas.

The 50 duty-unpaid packs of heated tobacco sticks, each containing 20 sticks, were found in a vehicle driven by a woman. The products were confiscated and the driver later accepted an out-of-court settlement, paying a €150 fine. The department said the tobacco sticks had been carefully concealed inside tissue packets.

Later the same day, a second vehicle driven by a woman was selected for inspection. Officers found six cartons containing 200 cigarettes each, as well as packages of rolling tobacco weighing a total of 1,500 grammes.

The tobacco products did not bear the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, indicating they were untaxed. The driver was arrested for offences committed in flagrante, while both the goods and the vehicle were seized. She was subsequently released after accepting an out-of-court settlement and paying €1,000.

In a separate incident on Sunday, customs officers stopped a vehicle driven by a man. During the inspection, they discovered a package containing 12 grammes of green dry plant matter resembling cannabis.

Police were immediately notified and took charge of both the suspect and the substance for further investigation, as the matter falls under their jurisdiction.