A priest caught bringing 72. kilos of tobacco from the Turkish-occupied north to the government controlled areas has paid a €29,400 fine and the tobacco has been confiscated.
The priest was caught unloading the duty free tobacco at a warehouse in a village in the Nicosia district on Wednesday morning.
Customs officials who had gone to the warehouse to carry out a search found him unloading the tobacco for which the unpaid duty was €15,042.
The man was arrested and the tobacco confiscated. He was then fined €29,400 and released.