A 23-year-old from Britain was handed a 12-year prison sentence on Thursday for smuggling over 20kg of cannabis into Cyprus in December 2023.

Larnaca criminal court heard that the young man had arrived at Larnaca airport with a total of 22kg of cannabis in his luggage on December 11, 2023.

His luggage was searched by police and customs officers, who found the drugs and arrested him for the illegal import and possession of narcotic substances, which he intended to sell.

He was found guilty of the crime on Thursday and sentenced to 12 years in prison.