The police discovered a further 260 kilograms of ketamine in a Limassol warehouse on Monday, adding to the 126 kilograms already seized in a major drugs haul last week.

The substance was recently detected during ongoing tests being carried out on evidence from the case.

The discovery follows an operation two days earlier in which police searched two properties in Limassol and arrested four suspects, two couples from Israel and Palestine.

At the home of a 53-year-old man, officers found 34 grams of cocaine, 246 grams of ketamine, 15 grams of methadone and 12 grams of MDMA.

They also seized €4,150 in cash, 42 packets of untaxed cigarettes, and mobile phones.

At the second property, belonging to a 50-year-old man, police found 126 kilograms ketamine along with a precision scale and more mobile phones.

The police believe the group formed part of an organised network smuggling drugs into Cyprus from Israel using luxury yachts docked at marinas in Limassol and Larnaca, with the drugs allegedly hidden inside paint cans.

Officers say the drugs were stored at the two properties before being sold on, with buyers limited to Israeli residents in Cyprus rather than Cypriot nationals.

The four suspects appeared before the Limassol district court on Sunday, where an eight-day remand was granted to allow the investigation to continue.