Two remanded over 18.7kg of cannabis (Updated)

Two people, aged 41 and 58, who were remanded for eight days on Saturday after about 18.7kg of cannabis were found in their possession, are believed to be members of a larger drug trafficking operation, police said.

The arrests came following a tip off about drugs being transported in a taxi with a 41-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man as passengers, according to drug squad chief Michalis Katsounotos.

The taxi, which had departed from a parcel collection services company, was later stopped for a check near Larnaca airport by members of the drug squad who found two packages with eight plastic bags containing about 18.7kg of cannabis in the boot.

They also found two delivery receipts for the packages addressed from abroad in the possession of the suspects which are “key pieces of evidence”, Katsounotos said.

According to police, the pair, who are from Greece and arrived in Cyprus on Friday, admitted they received the parcels and that the illegal drugs belonged to them.

However, they also made some allegations that are being investigated, police said.

“We are in the initial stage of investigations and the ultimate goal is to have a more complete picture around this case,” Katsounotos said.

He added that the suspects are “certainly” members of a drug trafficking operation.

“What we will try to find out is whether they were recruited or acted on their own,” he said.

Katsounotos said the main points for drug trafficking are ports, airports, marinas and across the green line.