Three individuals suspected of involvement in a large drug trafficking ring appeared before the Limassol court on Friday for a re-remand hearing. The court granted a new seven-day remand to allow police to gather additional evidence, including statements, phone records, and CCTV footage. The suspects’ lawyers did not object to the extension.
The suspects – a 33-year-old man, a 50-year-old man, and a 32-year-old woman – were arrested last Friday during a police operation targeting the younger man. Police reported that the arrests occurred in the car park of a beach hotel in Ayios Tychonas during what appeared to be a drug deal.
Police had been watching the 33-year-old after the arrest of his brother two months earlier in Nicosia, where police reportedly seized 22 kilogrammes of cannabis. Acting on new information that the 33-year-old was planning to transport drugs to the 50-year-old in Limassol, officers placed him under surveillance.
According to police, the younger man was seen outside his residence in Paliometocho loading a suitcase into his car. He later met with the older man and the 32-year-old woman, reportedly the employee of the older suspect, at a hotel in Limassol. The trio then proceeded to the car park of a beach hotel, where the 33-year-old transferred the suitcase into a vehicle driven by the woman. The older man followed on a motorcycle.
After the exchange, police intercepted the suspects. During a search of the woman’s car, officers discovered a suitcase containing five packages of cocaine weighing nearly 5.8 kilogrammes and five packages of cannabis weighing 5.6 kilogrammes.
The 50-year-old was found in possession of two mobile phones and €1,845 in cash, while the 33-year-old had two phones and €225 in cash.
A subsequent search of the younger man’s residence in Nicosia uncovered seven packages of cannabis weighing 7 kilogrammes. At a second property, officers reportedly found five smaller bags of cannabis weighing 140 grammes. Meanwhile, a search of the woman’s home yielded 13 grammes of cannabis. She claimed she was at the hotel car park only because her employer instructed her to pick up an item for him.
The three suspects are facing charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics for the purpose of supply to a third party, and money laundering.
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