Jailed for 12 years for cocaine possession

A 34-year-old man was on Monday sentenced to 12 years in jail after he was found guilty of drug possession with intent to supply after being found with 8kg of cocaine.

The drugs were discovered and seized on October 13, 2023 at a warehouse in Mouttagiaka.

Limassol criminal court found the 34-year-old guilty after his own admission to the serious charges.

He will now be called upon to testify against the first accused and his godfather. According to daily Phileleftheros, he has already been enrolled on the witness protection programme.

The man, who is the owner of the warehouse where the drugs were found, admitted to his involvement in the case stating that he allowed a 35-year-old to use the premises to conceal a quantity of cocaine, receiving a payment of €1,000 per month.

The drug squad, Ykan, caught the two defendants red-handed in an open space adjacent to the warehouse, where they were reportedly separating and packaging the drugs.

Police arrested the 35-year-old while the 34-year-old attempted to flee, throwing a bag of cocaine weighing 100g into a neighbouring yard.

He was eventually apprehended and, upon further investigation, members of the Ykan squad found eight kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of cannabis buried on site.

Additionally, they seized various precision scales, cash, a mobile phone, as well as 11 fireworks and two smoke bombs.

The value of the seized drugs, according to the police, is estimated at around €1 million.