The trial of seven people accused of forming an alleged criminal syndicate engaged in drug trafficking, running a protection racket, and illegal gambling was on Friday postponed until November 21.

It had been due to begin on Friday, but as there are pending cases at the Supreme Court, where the search and seizure warrants issued regarding the property of four of the defendants have been challenged, it was decided to postpone the trial.

Among the seven on trial is 48-year-old Georgios Christodoulou Zavrantonas, who had been sentenced to 22 years in prison in December 2022 after being found in possession of 15kg of cocaine.

His lawyer Demetris Tsolakkides said on Friday that if the Supreme Court challenges are successful, “the substance of the criminal case may be affected”.

The remaining six defendants remain on bail, having been released in July on terms up to €50,000 and ordered to surrender their passports to the police and appear at a police station once a week.

In addition, their names were placed on Cyprus’ stop list.

Zavrantonas’ 37-year-old partner, her parents and brother, a 40-year-old man from the Famagusta district, and a 26-year-old prison guard also stand accused of partaking in the syndicate.

At a previous hearing of the case in July, prosecution lawyer Antigone Michael listed Zavrantonas’ convictions including for homicide, carrying a pistol, possessing explosives without a licence, conspiracy to commit murder and four years in prison for conspiracy to commit a felony.

She added that with the exception of the 2022 sentencing, all his previous convictions are now spent, and that an appeal has been filed against the 2022 ruling, though no date has yet been set for that appeal to be heard.

To this, Tsolakkides said Zavrantonas’ previous convictions “belong to the distant past” and said he “reserves the rights” of his client with relation to the sentence handed down in 2022.