Over a kilogram of cannabis was found being smuggled to Cyprus in two bags of protein powder, the customs department said.

The drugs were found after customs workers carried out an x-ray of a suitcase belonging to a 30-year-old man who had arrived at Larnaca airport on an inbound flight from another European Union member state.

During that x-ray, the department said, the machine’s operator “identified some anomalies which raised suspicions that there may have been drugs hidden in the luggage”.

As such, the suitcase was searched, and exactly 1.072kg of cannabis was discovered in the protein powder bags.

The man was arrested, and the drugs were confiscated, before being handed over to the police for further investigation. He appeared in court on Saturday and was remanded in custody for eight days.

The police then conducted a search of the man’s home, which is located in Larnaca, and found other “small quantities” of cannabis.

Their investigation into the matter is ongoing.