Pafos Live 5 December 2024
In a livestock farm rented by a Greek Cypriot in a remote area between the villages of Akoursos and Koili, a large quantity of drugs was hidden by a Portuguese who has been living in Cyprus for the last few years. Together with two other foreigners, a Romanian and a Nigerian who have also been arrested in connection with the detection of 34kg of drugs, they appeared yesterday in Paphos court.
The 48-year-old Portuguese has been working in the catering industry for years. He had convinced everyone he had met that he loved animals and tried to create a small livestock farm, in a remote area between the villages of Koili and Akoursos. It turned out that this unit was a cover for the large quantity of drugs found on Tuesday by members of the anti-narcotics agency. Inside an empty plastic water tank, cannabis weighing about 29.5 kg was found, as well as a precision scale. The drugs were sealed in nylon packages of one and a half kilograms.
It was preceded by the arrest of the other two alleged associates. In their car, which was stopped after surveillance, another 4.5kg of cannabis had been found. The Pafos district court accepted the police's request and issued detention orders against all three foreigners for eight days. So far, they have refused to cooperate with the authorities, pretending that they had nothing to do with the drugs found at the premises and that they did not cooperate with each other. However, YKAN members who appear to have been watching them for days have recorded their meetings outside a supermarket, outside a gas station and in the apartment of one of the arrested.
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Members of the Pafos police department located and arrested last night a 27-year-old Greek Cypriot against whom an arrest warrant and several fine warrants were pending.
The 27-year-old is suspected of thefts and burglaries that have been reported recently and has been linked to scientific testimony to some of them.
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Card gambling is on the rise during the Christmas season. Last night members of the Paphos police raided a café in Kato Paphos where they found five persons engaging in a card game using ficuses corresponding to money.
The manager of the café has also been denounced for the government, while fines and playing cards have been confiscated.
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The Larnaca Permanent Assize Court imposed prison sentences of 12 and 10 years on a 29-year-old and 18-year-old respectively who were found guilty in a case of illegal import and possession of cannabis, weighing more than 25 kg. The drugs were found on September 2, 2024, in the luggage of the 18-year-old, who had arrived at Larnaka airport from abroad.
In total, 43 nylon packages, containing cannabis, with a total gross weight of 25 kg and 612 grams, were found in her luggage. The 18-year-old was arrested under a court warrant, while the continuation of the YKAN examinations revealed testimony against a 29-year-old resident of Limassol, who was also arrested.
The case was heard by the Larnaca Permanent Assize Court, which found the persons in question guilty and imposed a 12-year prison sentence on the 29-year-old and a ten-year prison sentence on the 18-year-old.
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Police arrested two people, aged 30 and 29, yesterday, during incidents caused after the end of the football match between Apollon and Ethnikos Achna.
After the end of the match, which took place at the Alpha Mega Stadium, in Limassol, a group consisting of about 20 fans, moved towards the entrance, which leads to the stadium offices. They were intercepted by members of the police, causing tension, with fans throwing objects at the officers. To de-escalate the situation, members of the Police used tear gas and arrested two people, aged 30 and 29, for flagrant offences.
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Filenews
From abroad, the threatening message was sent to three recipients with financial motives.
Police investigations continue to uncover the perpetrators, who in emails demanded a ransom payment from a private hospital in Nicosia and two hotels in Limassol "in order not to explode a bomb on their premises".
Specifically, the hospital was asked for €25,000 and the two hotels €75,000 in cryptocurrency.
As shown by the examinations of the Office of Combating Cybercrime, the sender is abroad. The cases are being investigated by the ICF of Nicosia and Limassol and it is found that the motives are financial.
Also, from information from the security authorities, similar threatening emails were sent to other countries with the ultimate goal of economic gains.
It is noted that from the investigations of the Police, it was found that these were only threats since no explosive device was detected.
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The Nicosia District Court convicted two legal entities and imposed a total penalty of €22,000 for a fatal accident at work, with the Department of Labour Inspection of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance promoting the criminal prosecution of employers who violated the provisions of the Legislation on Safety and Health at Work.
As stated in an announcement of the Department, the Nicosia District Court sentenced the company "ABC Molds & Constructions Ltd", which operates, inter alia, in the execution of formwork construction works (molds), to a fine of €14,000 for violations of the Safety and Health at Work (Minimum Standards for Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites) Regulations of 2015, the Management of Safety and Health at Work Regulations of 2002 and the Compulsory Employers' Liability Insurance Laws of 1989 to 2014, which caused fatal injury to its employees and endangered its employees, as well as other persons.
The company in question was convicted of failing to take the necessary measures to carry out work at a height safely with the help of appropriate equipment or collective protection mechanisms, such as the use of appropriate scaffolding or other safety means with anchorage, such as seat belts with safety straps of sufficient strength with an anti-fall mechanism to prevent persons from falling from a height; As a result, the employee fell from a height of about 4 to 5 meters and was fatally injured.
The company was also convicted of failing to define the preventive and protective measures to be taken, based on a written assessment of the risks involved at work, especially those related to work at height, as well as for failing to insure itself with any insurer against its liability for accident or occupational disease to each of its employees.
In addition, the Nicosia District Court sentenced the company "G.C.A. Elegant Homes Limited", which is active, inter alia, in construction works, to a fine of €8,000 for violations of the Safety and Health at Work (Minimum Standards for Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites) Regulations of 2015, which caused the fatal injury of an employee of another company and endangered its employees, as well as other persons.
The company in question was convicted of failing to ensure that the first defendant company, which undertook as a subcontractor the execution of formwork for the construction of formwork in two semi-detached dwellings, took the necessary measures to carry out work at height safely, with the help of appropriate equipment or collective protection mechanisms such as the use of appropriate scaffolding or other anchored safety equipment; such as belts with safety straps of sufficient strength with an anti-fall mechanism, to prevent persons from falling from a height, as a result of which an employee of the first accused company fell from a height of about 4 to 5 meters and was fatally injured.
The company was also convicted of failing to ensure that the safety and health plan was adapted in good time to include in that plan the working method and technical measures required on the basis of risk assessment to carry out work at height, such as formwork removal of roofing slabs on floors of houses under construction, concludes the announcement of the Department of Labour Inspection.
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Police made a second arrest regarding a large quantity of cannabis, seized last September in Nicosia.
He is a 51-year-old man against whom testimony was obtained as part of the investigation into the case.
The large amount of cannabis was found in a car that was stopped for inspection by members of the YKAN, on September 12, 2024, on a street in Nicosia. In total, 20 nylon packages, containing cannabis, with a gross weight of 22 kg and 838 grams, were found and seized inside the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was a 29-year-old resident of Nicosia, who was arrested.
From the continuation of the examinations, testimony was obtained against the 51-year-old, on the basis of which a court warrant was issued for his arrest. Yesterday afternoon, the 51-year-old was arrested and taken into custody to facilitate interrogations.
Today he is expected to be brought before the Nicosia District Court for a detention order.
The YKAN (Nicosia District Unit) continues the examinations.
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The Police arrested a 24-year-old resident of Paphos yesterday to facilitate investigations into cases of burglary, theft and robbery, committed between October and November 2024, in the Paphos district.
The 24-year-old is being investigated in one case of car theft, one case of robbery with theft of machine batteries and two restaurant burglaries.
The theft of the vehicle was reported on October 28 by a company manager. According to the complainant, the car owned by the company was stolen on October 27, while it was parked in an open area in Paphos. The vehicle was located a few days later, in Paphos and handed over to its owner.
On November 2, a resident of Paphos reported to the police that around 4 a.m. The same day, he spotted a person holding a machine battery in Paphos in an area where he parked his machines. As the complainant complained, as soon as this person noticed him, he pointed a knife at him and taking the battery, fled.
According to the complainant, nine batteries and 200 litres of oil were stolen from the premises.
On November 18, two cases of burglaries in restaurants in Paphos, committed at dawn of the same day, were reported to the ICF of Pafos. According to the complainants, electronic devices and money were stolen from the two premises.
The investigation of the above secured testimony against the 24-year-old, on the basis of which a court warrant was issued for his arrest. Yesterday afternoon, the 24-year-old was arrested under the warrant and taken into custody to facilitate interrogations.
The ICF Pafos continues the examinations.
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The investigations of the ICF of Limassol are in full swing in relation to the shooting case against the vehicle of a 64-year-old man, which was parked outside his home in Mouttayiaka. Investigators are looking into several possible motives behind the attack, without ruling out the possibility that the attackers wanted to send a message to family members of the 64-year-old.
As Philenews learns, the two shots were also heard by neighbours, who jumped out of their beds to see what was happening. According to information from the police, the 64-year-old is a person who has never concerned the authorities. Authorities have taken statements while searching for CCTV footage in the area, which may have recorded the perpetrators' movements as well as their route.
The incident occurred around 1:10 a.m., when unknown assailants opened fire with a shotgun at the 64-year-old's double-cab vehicle. The attackers then fled. It should be noted that the complaint to the authorities was made about 40 minutes later, immediately mobilizing the Police.
The scene was cordoned off and placed under guard, while at first light of day on-site examinations were carried out to collect evidence from the spot.
