Saturday, April 20, 2024

CRIME ROUND UP

 Pafos Live 20 April 2024



In the context of investigating information in relation to burglaries and thefts committed at a hotel in Paphos, members of the Pafos ICF arrested yesterday afternoon on the basis of a court warrant, a 30-year-old man.

During his arrest, the 30-year-old allegedly resisted and attacked the members of the police, but was immobilized and arrested.

This was followed by a search of the shoulder bag in his possession, where three electronic entry cards for rooms of the hotel in question were found.

Subsequently, his house was searched where four other electronic entrance cards of rooms of the above hotel were found, a safe in which a number of gold items were found, as well as a small amount of cannabis.

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Pafos Press


The Permanent Criminal Court of Paphos yesterday imposed a prison sentence of four years on a 24-year-old man, after finding him guilty of the charge of illegal possession of drugs with the intention of supplying them to other persons.

Specifically, in the possession of the young man, approximately five months ago, almost two kilograms of cannabis, namely 1943.7 grams, were found.

The 24-year-old was arrested by the Police and brought before a court and after a hearing, yesterday the Permanent Criminal Court of Paphos sentenced him to four years in prison.  

The offense was committed in Chloraka, a few days before Christmas 2023, specifically on December 19.

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Filenews

A Syrian under trial escaped some time ago through the hands of police escorts, on his return to prison from the courts of Nicosia.

The defendant had been transferred in the morning to the Nicosia District Court for a drug case for which he is accused and was returning to prison accompanied by police officers.

According to initial reports, even before he was handed over to prison and while he was in the courtyard, his police escorts removed his handcuffs and he took the opportunity to escape.

The Syrian seems to have taken advantage of the fact that he was briefly unattended and after seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he became involved in the people visiting the imprisoned tombs to disappear.

After finding out that he escaped, an alarm was raised and the prisons are also assisting in the police investigations.

An investigation has been ordered into the circumstances of the suspect's escape, while investigations are ongoing around the Central Prison.

It is noted that the detainees-undertrials transfer department is operationally subordinated to the MMAD.

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More than 600 firecrackers were found in a garbage bag by a couple of German tourists between the villages of Doras – Anogyra in the Limassol district.

According to reports, shortly before 3 p.m. the pair of German tourists stopped to rest during their excursion. There they found a black bag on the side of the road on a concrete bridge. Having opened it, they found that the contents were a large number of crackers.

Subsequently, the tourists informed the Police, a member of which rushed to the spot for examinations. Tests found that the firecrackers were damaged due to rain. The bag was received and after further examinations, 643 firecrackers were counted and then sealed.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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Two Arab businessmen who were linked by the Americans to an illegal arms trafficking network in states hostile to the West appear to be related to Cyprus.

Evidence released by U.S. authorities suggests the two individuals, who are wanted by the FBI, may have set up a mechanism to facilitate their activities, which included our island.

As it turns out, they had participation in at least two companies registered with the Cyprus Registrar of Companies, while for their purposes they have also used the occupied areas. The registered office of these business entities is registered in Paphos.

The reason is 45-year-old Samir Raya and his 63-year-old partner Mohammad Deiri. Both appear to be the brains of the Black Shield network, which has recently been massively sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC). The network is named after a company of the same name in which Raya and Deiri are alleged to be shareholders.

The reason the 45-year-old and 63-year-old have been placed on a wanted list by the US Federal Police is that – according to US positions – they engaged in the arms trade without obtaining the necessary permits and that they are suspected of money laundering-related offenses.

The indictment

Official information released by the U.S. Justice Department says Deiri and Raya through Black Shield support illegal supplies of weapons and ammunition used in conflicts around the world by troops who do not serve Western interests.

According to the indictment presented in a court in the Southern District of Florida, the two suspects between April and November 2016 along with other persons "conspired to export ammunition, including 23mm anti-aircraft missiles, 40mm Bushmaster grenade launchers, FN SCAR-L CQC (5.56x45mm) atomic assault rifles, FN SCAR-H CQC (7.62x51mm) rifles, 5.7×28mm FNH ammunition and HK MR762A1 LRP II military rifles (7.62x51mm), from the U.S. to Sudan and Iraq without first obtaining the required permits from the U.S. Department of Labor (DDTC)."

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It cost a 49-year-old shop owner in Paphos €4,000 to possess and sell unadulterated tobacco products.

Their location followed a police search of three premises in Paphos, pursuant to court warrants, to combat the phenomenon of possession of firecrackers and duty-free tobacco products.

In the 49-year-old's shop, according to police, 36 boxes of cigarettes, 200 grams of tobacco and six boxes of electric combustion cigarettes were found, for which the required duty had not been paid.

The Customs were called to the scene and issued the 49-year-old store manager an extrajudicial notice amounting to €4,000.