Two Cypriot men have been ordered to pay fines exceeding €32,000 following separate customs violations at Larnaca airport, according to a statement by the customs department.
The most serious case occurred on April 22, when a 43-year-old Greek Cypriot man arriving from Basel, Switzerland, was stopped by customs officers during a targeted inspection.
During the search, officials found two undeclared luxury watches worth a combined €104,246. The passenger had not declared the items, as required, to pay the appropriate duties and taxes. The watches were confiscated and later returned to the man after he accepted an out-of-court settlement.
He paid €7,620 to settle the case, along with €19,809 in duties and taxes and an additional fine of €1,981. The total amount came to €29,410.
In a separate incident, on April 19, a 48-year-old Greek Cypriot man was brought to Larnaca airport’s customs office by police officers after a search at his home uncovered large quantities of unregistered tobacco products.
Customs officers counted and seized 29 cartons of 200 cigarettes each, six cartons of heated tobacco sticks, and 20 pouches of rolling tobacco weighing a total of 975 grammes.
The items lacked the required health warnings in Greek and Turkish, as well as security markings and traceability codes, signs they had not passed through legal customs channels.
The man was arrested but later released after agreeing to pay a €2,800 fine to settle the case.
The tobacco products were surrendered for destruction.
