A 47-year-old man was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Larnaca criminal court on Thursday after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit a felony, transportation and possession of explosives, and possession of firearms and ammunition.

His alleged accomplice, a 35-year-old man facing the same charges, has pleaded not guilty, and legal proceedings against him are ongoing. Both men were arrested in connection with what authorities have described as the “largest ever” weapons cache found in Cyprus.

The case unfolded in May 2024 when police became suspicious of the two men near the Oroklini cemetery in the Larnaca district. Upon stopping them, officers found the 47-year-old carrying a bag containing ten boxes of pistol bullets, cartridges, a pistol, and a hunting rifle.

Police surveillance had earlier observed the men acting suspiciously, with the 35-year-old allegedly patrolling the area while the 47-year-old approached a specific grave and retrieved a large bag.

A subsequent investigation at the cemetery uncovered a military rifle, an anti-tank rifle, two projectiles, three projectile propellants, a package of cartridges, an improvised explosive device containing high-powered explosives, a pistol, and two silencers.