Filenews 7 February 2022 - by Ioanna Mantzipa
The Limassol Permanent Assize Court today sentenced the 59-year-old accused, mastermind of the largest drug case, that of 645 kilograms of drugs found in fukus [BBQ units] in 2019 and exported from Limassol port to Australia, to 23 years in prison.
According to the decision of the Assize Court, this is the most serious drug case ever heard.
The case dropped a curtain following the admission of the 59-year-old defendant, who on January 24, 2022 admitted three charges relating to the possession, export and possession for the purpose of supplying to other persons, a quantity of 645 kilograms ecstasy.
Developments in the case came after the admission of the 59-year-old's 32-year-old co-defendant and the arrest of the latter's son-in-law. The 32-year-old accused had admitted the charge of conspiracy months ago and was given a four-year sentence while he had joined the witness protection programme and was expected to testify as a witness in the case. In a voluntary testimony, he said that his 59-year-old co-defendant had revealed to him that he had brought the large quantity of drugs by boat and that he had help from another person.
The drugs arrived in Cyprus via a sailboat and the examinations that were done found that the sailboat was transferred on March 29, 2019 by sea from the port of Latchi, to a place in Zygi on the instructions of the 59-year-old.
