Man remanded in guns and drugs case

A 33-year-old man was remanded in custody for eight days on Tuesday by the Famagusta district court after firearms and cannabis were found at his home the previous day.

Police had found a shotgun with 61 rounds of ammunition and a loaded handgun with eight full rounds of ammunition in his house in Liopetri.

In addition, 39 nylon packages containing 22 kilograms of cannabis were found in a ventilation shaft which adjoins the outside of the building.

The search of the man’s property came in conjunction with a case dating back to July, when police found 32 kilograms of cannabis in Limassol.

Famagusta police spokesman Stelios Stergides told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) “it appears this is an organised group of a drug trafficking and trading ring in the Cypriot market”.

He said the police are “examining where the drugs came from and possible collaborators of the arrested parties, both in Cyprus and abroad.

“It seems that the two cases are connected and from investigations that are being carried out we expect to see which role each person played in the group,” he added.

He said, “the police’s aim is to be able to seize large quantities of drugs before they are placed on the market. At the same time, our goal is to arrest the people who traffic and trade in drugs and to bring them to justice”.

In addition, he noted that Monday’s raid brought the total amount of cannabis seized in Cyprus so far this year up to 423 kilograms, which “is the largest in recent years”.