Two on bail after attempting to smuggle meat to north

Two men have been released on bail after being found in the buffer zone attempting to smuggle meat to the north.

The pair will be tried in a Turkish military court for “violating a military base”, while a police investigation in Morphou is underway regarding the illegal imports of meat.

According to a policeman speaking in court, a parked vehicle with Turkish Cypriot licence plates was found and searched by Unficyp soldiers in the buffer zone near the village of Avlona on August 28.

They found and seized an “undetermined” amount of meat in the car. Neither suspect was the owner of the car, and thus police arrested the car’s owner as well.

Police say the car itself never left the north, but that the car’s owner and one of the suspects had been seen driving a different car from Morphou towards Nicosia after the car in the buffer zone was discovered.

The pair were released on a 10,000TL (€328) bail.