Thanks to the efforts of the Immigration Police of the Republic of Cyprus, illegal migrants
stopped
presenting false identification documents at passport control at Paphos airport when attempting to fly to Western European countries. Now Cyprus customs is working in an intensive mode, trying to stop the flow of smuggled tobacco products.
FAKE PASSPORTS
Almost every day for many months, attempts by African migrants to fly to Western Europe using fake documents of EU citizens were recorded at Paphos airport. They were usually bought from underground structures in the occupied territories.
In most cases, counterfeit documents were detected at airport passport control, and their holders ended up not in France or Germany, but in migrant detention centers and then on deportation flights.
There have been cases where migrants with false documents managed to fly out of Paphos, but were detained at passport control in their destination country and returned to Cyprus. In the fall of 2025, they stopped presenting fake documents at Paphos airport.
According to Phileleftheros, illegal migrants realized the futility of trying to fly to Western European countries from Paphos airport and began to look for other ways to illegally enter the territory of European countries, which was their ultimate goal.
CONTRABAND CIGARETTES
Recently, at Paphos airport there has been a surge in attempts to export cigarettes without paying customs duties. The smugglers' destination is the UK and other Western European countries where cigarette prices are high.
“Tourists stuff their luggage with tobacco products from the occupied territories and try to transport them without paying duties,” explains Phileleftheros
. — The police and customs of the Republic of Cyprus are working in enhanced mode.
Example
. On December 6, a passenger with British citizenship was detained at Paphos airport. She tried to smuggle three suitcases containing 225 cartons of cigarettes from Cyprus.
Photo
: Cyprus Aeropolis
