**Title: Nearly 5kg of Duty-Free Nargileh Tobacco Confiscated at Crossing Points**
On Monday, customs agents in Cyprus conducted inspections at two major crossing points, resulting in the confiscation of nearly 5 kilograms of duty-free nargileh tobacco. The operations took place at the Dherynia and Ayios Dhometios checkpoints, where agents found the tobacco during routine vehicle searches.
At the Dherynia crossing, agents stopped a vehicle with Turkish Cypriot registration driven by a Turkish Cypriot individual. The driver was transporting an Israeli passenger to Larnaca airport. Upon inspecting the passenger's luggage, customs officials discovered a substantial amount of nargileh tobacco, totaling 7 kilograms and 400 grams. Following the discovery, the Israeli passenger was arrested but was later released after reaching an out-of-court settlement amounting to €2,600.
Simultaneously, at the Ayios Dhometios crossing point, customs agents inspected another vehicle, this time driven by a Greek Cypriot. During the search, they uncovered 2 kilograms and 400 grams of duty-free nargileh tobacco imported from Nepal. The driver of this vehicle also faced legal repercussions, ultimately settling out of court for €850, in addition to a fee of €150 for the release of his vehicle.
The confiscated tobacco products from both incidents are slated for destruction as part of customs regulations regarding illegal or undeclared goods.
These incidents highlight ongoing efforts by customs officials to monitor and regulate the movement of tobacco products across the island, particularly those that are transported without proper declarations or exceed allowable duty-free limits.