Court refuses to remand men arrested for people smuggling

Ten men arrested on suspicion of a people smuggling ring were released on Wednesday after Paphos district court rejected a police remand request.

They had been arrested on Monday as part of a police effort to bust what was believed to be a coordinated operation into a people smuggling network facilitating the illegal entry of migrants into Cyprus.

The suspects were believed to have been bringing migrants to the island in exchange for money.

During a police search, officers uncovered €160,000 in cash and various other pieces of evidence in the possession of one of the suspects. All items were seized for further examination.

On Tuesday, police requested an eight-day remand order but the defence lawyers for the 10 suspects began a legal wrangle arguing the criteria for issuing a remand were not met.

The judge at Paphos district court adjourned the hearing to Wednesday, seeking more time to contemplate the course of action.

Police had argued in favour of the remand order as part of their efforts to continue investigations.

Nonetheless, during Wednesday’s hearing, the court rejected the police remand request, saying there was no connection between the suspects and the offences they were being investigated for.

As such, they were all released.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou said officers would continue investigating the case and try to decipher the origins of the €160,000.