A 22-year-old man was arrested on Friday by the drug squad (Ykan) as part of an ongoing investigation into the importation of a large quantity of dried poppy bulbs discovered in postal packages in the Famagusta district.

In a statement issued on Saturday, police said the arrest relates to the seizure of dried poppy bulbs with a total weight of 6.05 kilogrammes.

The dried poppy bulbs were found in postal parcels and subsequently confiscated by officers from Ykan operating in the Famagusta district, the statement said.

Police noted that two other suspects, aged 35 and 30, had already been arrested in connection with the same case on June 25.

The three suspects appeared before the Famagusta district court on Friday, which ordered that they remain in custody for seven days to facilitate police investigations.

The Famagusta district branch of Ykan is continuing its investigations into the case

Meanwhile record cocaine seizures and the emergence of powerful new synthetic drugs have prompted concern among Cyprus police, who warned that criminal networks are rapidly adapting their methods and introducing increasingly dangerous substances to the local market.

Police said they had already seized more than 75kg of cocaine this year, surpassing the total amount confiscated during the whole of 2025 by 130 per cent, alongside sharp increases in methamphetamine seizures and the appearance of several synthetic drugs not previously encountered in such quantities in Cyprus.