AADE: seizure of 120,000 cigarettes at Mykonos airport

The Independent Authority of Public Revenue announced on Thursday 24 September 2026 that customs service at Mykonos airport proceeded with the seizure of 120,000 smuggled cigarettes and 4.5 kilograms of illegal hookah tobacco. According to the authority’s press release, the products were discovered during an inspection at the island’s airport and were confiscated as contraband, as they did not bear the prescribed tax indicators. The seizure is among the largest recorded in recent times at an entry point in the Cyclades, according to figures released by the authority.

As stated by AADE, the operation is part of the regular inspections carried out by the authority in ports and airports of the country, aiming at limiting tobacco product smuggling and ensuring the collection of appropriate taxes and duties. The authority notes that smuggling of tobacco products is a perennial focus of its inspections, as it is connected both with loss of public revenues and with public health risks, due to the lack of control over the quality and composition of products circulated outside legal distribution networks. The authority has specialized teams of customs officials at airports and ports of the country, which carry out sample inspections as well as targeted checks of baggage and cargo, based on risk assessments evaluated before each flight or route. AADE has not disclosed details regarding any person allegedly related to the cargo, nor has an arrest or initiation of criminal proceedings been announced at this stage.

The seizure is added to a series of similar inspections recorded in the Cyclades in recent times, with customs authorities intensifying their presence at entry points of the island complex, as had been recorded in previous AADE inspections in Naxos and Santorini. In parallel, the increased tourist and commercial traffic at the island during the months of September and October, when many visitors leave at the end of the season, makes the airport a point of particular attention for customs authorities, who seek to locate cargo before it is channeled into the local or broader domestic market. The customs authorities have repeatedly stressed that islands with intense tourist traffic are focal points of increased interest for the circulation of smuggled goods, as the large volume of passengers and baggage hampers full inspection of each cargo. For Mykonos, an island with intense tourist and commercial traffic, the seizures of smuggled tobacco products are linked to efforts to limit an illegal market that deprives the state of revenues and affects legitimate businesses in the sector on the island.

AADE stated that inspections at country entry points will continue, without specifying further actions regarding the specific case. No information has been released to the public about judicial developments, while any identification of persons or further details is expected to emerge, if any, from the competent authorities in the context of the investigation of the case. Meanwhile, AADE calls on citizens and businesses to report any incidents of smuggled goods circulation that come to their attention, through the authority’s official communication channels.