Grapes were seized and arrested at Decelia’s British establishments

Grapevines, which were hidden in vehicles, were seized at the British Dekelia Centers, while the owners of the cars were arrested and will soon appear before a Court, according to a statement from the Bases.

According to the statement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that 312 protected vultures were seized at roadblocks in October when officers found them hidden in vehicles during three separate inspections. “The vehicles and the birds were seized by customs officials and the owners were immediately arrested by the Bases police, charged and will appear in court soon,” he said.

“The Customs and Immigration Department and the Base Police are working closely together to ensure that birds are not smuggled through roadblocks,” he added.

Mark Hartley, head of Customs in the Dekelia region, said the illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illegal trade in the world, noting that “we are committed to detect any attempts to illegally introduce protected species through the Green Line.”

He also said that with the current vulture migration season, the British Base Customs Department has been actively deployed to stop the movements of these protected birds that ‘ go beyond the borders of the Bases. “The discovery of these vultures reinforces our commitment to tackling wildlife crime, which has a devastating impact on the environment,” he said.

He also noted that “our actions are an essential part of addressing a global issue and protecting endangered species” and that officers “continue their essential work at roadblocks to stamp out this ruthless and lucrative trade.”

According to the statement, “the arrests came after confirmation that Bases Police’s efforts to combat illegal bird trapping were continuing apace, with a number of arrests already made in October during operations by the task force’s Community Action Team (CAT).

As the season for Apelopoulis migration comes to an end, “officials are confident that the efforts of the CAT team will have been very successful when the statistics are released in November,” he added.

Senior Constable Fanos Christodoulou, who leads the CAT team of 10 officers, explained that “the arrests and seizures, not only in October, but since the start of the season, show that we are fully committed to combating this illegal activity. We have been able to call up to 10 members of the military to assist us in our operations when working on the military field and in addition, we have been working closely with Bird Life Cyprus and CABS to combat bird trapping.”

He said “we have continued to invest in technology, with drones, closed circuit surveillance and other modern detection methods. This is a serious crime and we will continue to deal with it with everything we have.”

It is noted that “the warbler migration season is expected to end in early November, when the official focus will turn to illegal poaching of the warbler”.