Over half a kilogram of cocaine was seized from a 23-year-old woman at Larnaca airport on Tuesday, leading to her arrest.

She is believed to have swallowed additional packages, police said on Wednesday.

The woman, arriving from abroad, was stopped for a security check on arrival at around noon.

Nine egg-shaped nylon packets containing a total of 88g of cocaine were found inside her bra, while another package weighing 452g was hidden in her underwear.

She was taken to hospital for an X-ray examination, which revealed further packages inside her body. She was detained there and given appropriate medication to help expel the packages.

The operation was part of a joint effort between the police and customs to intercept drug smuggling through Cyprus airports.

Investigations are ongoing.