A 27-year-old man was on Wednesday imprisoned for 12 years for importing 24kg of cannabis.

According to police, on October 1 when he arrived at Larnaca airport from overseas he was subjected to a check by customs officers and the police drugs unit Ykan.

They found 41 plastic bags in his luggage which contained a total of 24kg of cannabis. He was immediately arrested.

He appeared in Larnaca criminal court on Wednesday which passed down the sentence.

The check was carried out as part of a campaign by the two government departments to stamp out the drugs trade and identify those importing them to Cyprus.