Cyprus customs authorities are investigating whether a 75-year-old man caught smuggling tobacco products from the occupied north may also have illegally transported hay and animal feed — and whether those goods could be linked to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
The Customs Department received an anonymous tip around midday on Wednesday alerting officials to the possible involvement of the same man in the frequent smuggling of goods through unauthorised crossing points between the occupied and government-controlled areas, Customs Department spokesman Giorgos Konstantinou said.
The tip specifically suggested the 75-year-old may have been transporting hay and animal feed, prompting officials to alert police and launch a co-ordinated investigation, Konstantinou said.
“We were seriously alarmed and informed the police yesterday so that co-ordinated action could be taken — to investigate whether the tip holds up in the first place, and then whether we can connect it to a possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease from the occupied areas to the free areas,” he said.
The man had already come to the attention of authorities last Wednesday in the Dali area in connection with the illegal smuggling of tobacco products from the occupied territories.
The Customs Department took over the case from police and reached an out-of-court settlement, with the man paying €13,000.
Konstantinou stressed that at this stage the investigation is based solely on an unverified tip. “What we have right now is a piece of information and a conjecture — nothing has been confirmed,” he said, adding that authorities would work with other competent agencies over the coming days to establish the facts.
If it is confirmed that the man illegally transported hay and animal feed from the occupied north, investigators will then seek to gather any evidence linking those products to the spread of the virus, Konstantinou said.
Asked how long the process would take, he said time was needed, as moving from the receipt of a tip to building evidential links was complex. “It takes time, it takes a lot of effort, and we will do everything possible to see it through,” he said.
(information from CNA)
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