Three people were arrested at Larnaca airport last week after large quantities of undeclared tobacco products in their luggage were uncovered during routine inspections, customs officers announced on Monday.

On July 10, officers from the customs department, acting on intelligence, searched the luggage of two British nationals, aged 44 and 38, who were preparing to board a flight to Manchester.

Inside, authorities found 130 boxes of cigarettes, each containing 200 cigarettes, that lacked the mandatory Greek and Turkish health warnings. The packaging indicated the items were duty-free and illegally transported.

The two passengers were arrested on the spot for customs violations and appeared the following day before Larnaca district court, which issued a three-day remand order.

On the following day, a 42-year-old Turkish Cypriot woman travelling with her minor daughter to Gatwick was also stopped at the airport. A search of their three bags revealed 148 boxes of cigarettes and 40 packs of rolling tobacco, totalling 2kg, similarly lacking the required markings and traceability codes.

The woman was arrested and her luggage confiscated. She was later released after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, a €10,500 fine and forfeiting the tobacco products for destruction.