Pafos Live 22 July 2023
A saloon-type car stolen a few days ago from Paphos was found on fire last night in the "Petridia" area on the border of the municipality of Pafos with Emba.
The vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire set deliberately by the perpetrators, apparently to destroy evidence.
The vehicle was stolen a few days ago while parked outside the residence of its Greek Cypriot owner.
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The arrest of a third suspect in connection with an investigated drug trafficking case was carried out yesterday by the Police and specifically by the Anti-Narcotics Service – YKAN. The third suspect, a 51-year-old man, was taken into custody for investigation purposes.
This is a case of possession for the purpose of supplying to another person, a quantity of cannabis weighing approximately 150 grams, which was detected during a coordinated operation by the YKAN, last Thursday, July 20, in Nicosia. During the operation, two people, men aged 30 and 25, were arrested. During the operation, two residences were searched, where a quantity of 150 grams of dry cannabis plant matter and a sum of money of €4,240 were found. The amount of cannabis was found at the residence of the 51-year-old suspect, while at the residence of the 30-year-old suspect, the amount of €4,240 was found, the origin of which is being investigated.
Against the three suspects, the Nicosia District Court issued yesterday judicial detention orders, lasting seven days, for the purpose of investigating the drug trafficking case.
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Thousands of counterfeit goods, lighters, condoms and children's toys that appear at first sight to be counterfeits were confiscated by the Department of Customs.
According to a press release issued by the Department of Customs and Excise following relevant information and a search at a company premises, the Department of Customs and Excise seized 7,355 lighters, which violated intellectual property rights of a well-known trade name.
As mentioned, the supply of these lighters, in addition to copying the well-known brand, also created conditions of unfair competition, since they were priced lower than that of the original lighters. In addition, imitation lighters may pose a serious risk to Cypriot consumers and especially if used by children, since they were made of poor quality materials and did not meet the quality and safety criteria required and observed by the respective authentic products.
Also, during the physical inspection of a container originating in Greece, 24,000 packets of condoms of 3 pieces each and 13,500 packets of children's toys (plastic cards) of 10 pieces each were detected and confiscated, which prima facie violate intellectual property rights of well-known brands. The importer of these items was known to the customs authorities from previous similar cases in the past.
The Department of Customs and Excise notes that these cases highlight the important role played by the Department in the protection and safety of citizens and society by identifying, seizing and removing dangerous or defective products from the market as well as prohibiting imports or entry into it.
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Filenews 22 July 2023
The case of the 33-year-old ex-convict, who received special treatment after an agreement by the Legal Service, in order to admit offences and be deported, has ended in a fiasco.
The 33-year-old, known as the mastermind of two serious criminal cases, that of the methamphetamine laboratory and that of the arson of the evidence room of the Limassol District Court, returned to Cyprus after a year, violating the terms of his deportation and ended up again in the hands of the Limassol YKAN, for a case for which he was wanted.
The 33-year-old had caused a headache for the authorities after according to police sources, he allegedly made threats against institutions and other persons in connection with the aforementioned cases. In order for the Republic of Cyprus to acquit him, he made a specific agreement together with his defense lawyers at the time, so that he would admit the lighter charges he faced and then be deported, which he did.
The 33-year-old, who was portrayed as the mastermind of a case involving the manufacture of 10kg of methamphetamine, was ultimately convicted of only 15 grams, with the Assize Court in May 2022 handing him a 7-year prison sentence. The case of arson of the evidence room of the Limassol Court was also taken into account in the sentence.
Following arrangements for the country to accept the 33-year-old, he was deported after being granted a presidential pardon and a suspended prison sentence with a view to his deportation. In the terms of the presidential pardon, it was provided not to return to Cyprus, which he did not respect, with the result that at this time the sentence of 7 years has been automatically activated.
The 33-year-old convict from Iraq was found on Thursday night by members of the Famagusta YKAN after a search of the house where he lives with a 27-year-old woman. During the search, a small quantity of cannabis and the sum of €5,095 and 8,750 dinars, as well as a number of phones and sim cards, hoods, gloves and a pistol dummy were found and received as evidence.
Yesterday morning he was brought before the Limassol Court as a court arrest warrant was pending against him for a case of methamphetamine weighing 2 kg and 184 grams. The quantity was found on June 25, 2022 buried in a field in the village of Paramytha. Scientific tests carried out identified the DNA of a 37-year-old, with authorities then proceeding to arrest him. The members of YKAN Limassol obtained written testimony from a specific person that the drugs found belonged to the 33-year-old suspect, who was identified as the alleged mastermind of a ring.
During the detention process, his lawyer asked for it to be held behind closed doors, as he argued that there is a security issue for the Republic for a specific reference to the facts of the case under investigation.
The court granted the request and ordered the 33-year-old to be detained for a period of four days.
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The Limassol District Court yesterday imposed a decree of exclusion from matches for a period of 6 months as well as a fine of €350 on three accused AEL fans for illegal entry into the pitch and for the offence of insult.
These are the incidents that took place on January 11, 2023, at the new stadium of Limassol "Alphamega Stadium" and in the first historic derby that took place between the Limassol teams, AEL and Apollon. Then, a portion of brainless people from both teams played a chair fight, tearing down the seats of the north and east stands of the stadium during halftime.
At the end of the match, a number of AEL fans from the south stand invaded the football venue and celebrated with AEL players and officials. The incident was recorded by the stadium's CCTV and was received by the Police while the damages caused to the stadium amounted to €20,000.
During yesterday's sentencing proceedings, it was reported that lately people carrying out offences taking place in stadiums have been recruited. "Some need to reflect and there needs to be an end, as well as zero-tolerance messages," he said in the ruling.
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