Pafos Live 1 March 2025
On 27/2/2025, officers of the Department of Customs, in cooperation with officers of the Department of Road Transport and the Traffic Police Headquarters, carried out checks on vehicles in a suburb of Nicosia to ascertain the use of duty-free oil instead of diesel.
During the coordinated operation, 22 vehicles were sampled and 6 of them were found to have heating oil (which has a reduced rate of excise duty) instead of diesel fuel in the fuel tank. The 6 vehicles were confiscated and their drivers paid a total amount of €4,300 for the out-of-court settlement of the cases and the return of their vehicles.
On 25/2/2025, two persons of Syrian origin were taken to Larnaka Airport accompanied by members of the Police, after checking their vehicle in an area of Larnaka (near the village of Pyla) 36 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 5 kg and 650 g were found. roll-your-own tobacco. During the inspection of tobacco products by the Customs officers, it was found that they did not bear the marking for the harmful of smoking in Greek and Turkish, nor the security feature and the unique traceability code, indications that they were duty-free. The aforementioned quantity of tobacco products as well as the vehicle transporting it were confiscated by the officers of the Customs and Excise Department, while the two persons were arrested for flagrant offences. They then abandoned the confiscated goods for destruction and were released, after paying an amount of €4,640 for the out-of-court settlement of the offences and the return of the vehicle.
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Filenews
Police arrested an 18-year-old man yesterday to facilitate investigations into an ongoing case of illegal possession and transport of explosives. The arrest of the 18-year-old was carried out by two probationary constables, who were off duty.
Around 3 p.m. yesterday, the two students of the Police Academy, who were in uniform, off duty, intercepted in Nicosia a motorcycle, which did not have registration numbers and its driver did not wear a protective helmet.
The driver of the motorcycle was an 18-year-old resident of Nicosia. In his possession, three packages containing a total of 20 factory firecrackers were found after a search. As a result, the 18-year-old was arrested for a flagrant offence.
He was taken to a police station, where he was questioned in writing, while a search was carried out at his home, without finding anything. The 18-year-old was subsequently charged in writing and released to be summoned later.
The Lakatamia Police Station is investigating the case.
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The give-and-take between occupied and controlled areas of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as weapons contrabands that end up in criminal groups, are back in the spotlight.
The trigger was a court ruling last Tuesday focusing on a 34-year-old Turkish national M.A., a taxi driver. The latter mobilized the security authorities of the Republic about a year ago, as, according to secure information brought to the attention of the police force, he was transporting weapons from the occupied areas to the free areas.
He was eventually located while trying to return to the occupied areas, was arrested, while a processed pistol was found in his possession and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, the Court of Appeal, to which the representative of the General Prosecutor's Office appealed, annulled the sentence of the Court of First Instance, imposing a three-year prison sentence. In other words, he doubled the sentence.
Through his decision, he also highlighted a "headache" for law enforcement authorities. It is well established that in many cases services of the Republic dealing with the evaluation and analysis of information, receive information about identical contrabands. The same seems to have happened in this case, if we take into account the information of the Police, which is also recorded in the relevant court decisions.
A day later
The case arose on February 26, 2024, almost a year earlier. The police had information that this person would pass through the Deryneia barricade, driving a Mercedes type car and that he would carry "illegal weapons for sale in the free areas".
In the end, it was not detected upon entering the Republic-controlled areas. He was arrested the next day (27/2/2024) in the morning, while attempting to return to the occupied areas.
After his arrest, the vehicle was searched and the pistol was found in the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat, wrapped in a scarf and in a black bag bearing the Mercedes Benz inscription. The 34-year-old told investigators at the Famagusta Crime Detection Department at the time that the firearm was from a client, but never gave any other explanation.
Processing in the occupied territories
Police examinations revealed that the pistol on his mobile parts bore the inscription "Sarsilmaz". Although originally manufactured as a "stun / gas – sports" pistol to fire blank rounds, 9 × 22 mm calibre, it was modified to become a fully functional firearm.
In particular, the barrel of the pistol was modified so that it could fire full rounds of a 9 × 19 mm calibre firearm. According to the police examinations, as presented to the Court, it is a semi-automatic, short-barrelled firearm, central percussion and its barrel is ribbed.
What about the Azer?
The pistol found in the possession of the Azer, who is facing terrorism charges (the case is being heard by the Nicosia Assize Court) and based on an indictment allegedly planned criminal acts against persons of Israeli origin residing in Nicosia.
When he was arrested on September 27, 2021 in the area of Agios Andreas, he had a "stun-gas" pistol, which was processed for use as a firearm. He allegedly obtained it from the occupied areas where he often went.
Based on the conclusions reached by the Cyprus Police at the time, initially the pistol was designed to fire 9mm bullets. It was also determined that the pistol was of the athletic type and specifically "stun-gas" (Blow, TR 914-02), with a barrel processing to be able to accept full rounds of 7.65×17 mmSR
According to reports abroad, these weapons can be used to carry out criminal activities, as they are relatively easily converted into functional firearms, without specialized knowledge. At the same time, stun gas weapons have low purchase costs, and have reportedly been used by the underworld, mainly as a means of intimidation.
Made in Turkey
Firearms such as those described are allegedly manufactured in Turkey and trafficked to Europe, mainly through Bulgaria. According to our information, the ICF Headquarters, which investigated the Azeri case, believed that the 41-year-old obtained the weapon in question from the occupied areas, where the arrested man allegedly went on different occasions through the Ledra barricade.
The reasoning of the Court of Appeal that doubled the sentence. "The usual penalty is between three and four years' imprisonment."
Last summer, the Famagusta District Court found a 34-year-old Turkish national guilty of two charges, possession and transport of a category B firearm.
However, as can be inferred from the verdict of the Appellate Judiciary, the senior public prosecutor, Thanasis Papanikolaou, appealed the decision on behalf of the Attorney General. Two grounds of appeal, one for each charge, challenged the amount of the sentences "on the ground that due weight was not given at first instance to the seriousness of the offence and to the need for a deterrent punishment, while giving disproportionate weight to the personal circumstances of the convicted."
The Court of Appeal (Charalambos Charalambous, Marina Papadopoulou and Michalis Pikis), after examining the grounds of appeal, concluded that the "sentences are judged to be manifestly inadequate". In the conclusion of his seven-page verdict, he notes: "Taking into account all the above, the sentences imposed at first instance are annulled and replaced with the following penalties:
>> In the 1st category: a sentence of three years' imprisonment.
>> In the 2nd category: a sentence of three years' imprisonment.
The penalties must be met."
Among other things, in its judgment the Court of Appeal notes: "No explanation was given as to why the respondent possessed and carried the pistol. What can certainly be said, however, is that there cannot be considered to have been any pure motive in possessing and carrying a weapon that had been modified to become a firearm. The carrying of such a firearm in transit to and from the occupied areas is also of increased seriousness. A study of jurisprudence leads to the correctness of the suggestion that the penalties imposed are inadequate. Indicatively, we note that in the book "Sentencing in Cyprus", by Mr. G.M. Piki, 2nd edition, p. 206, states that for the possession and transport of pistols the usual penalty is imprisonment of between three and four years.
Indeed, this is also reflected in the case law. Indicatively, we mention that in Panayi (above) a sentence of four years imprisonment was confirmed for the illegal transport of a weapon and in Benaki (above) the imposition of a sentence of five years in prison for the transfer of a firearm that had been shot in the context of drug delivery".
The 34-year-old convict is married to a Turkish Cypriot woman, while he is from Turkey. They have two underage daughters and were taxi drivers. From the evidence presented to the Court of First Instance, it appears that he had no criminal record.
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Cyprus Mail
A 17-year-old in Limassol reported getting kidnapped in a van, beaten, and threatened he would be killed, police said on Saturday.
He was taken to an isolated area at Kolossi castle where his phone was stolen, left abandoned and told if he spoke a word over what happened, his house would be burned told, according to police.
The incident unfolded at around 11:45pm in Kolossi, where the teenager was outside a kiosk. A saloon car pulled up with a man and a woman inside, while at the same time, a van turned up and the driver violently shoved the boy in the vehicle.
The teenager realised they had pulled over at Kolossi castle and the two individuals in the saloon car were also on site. He reported getting beaten, his phone stolen and abandoned at the scene.
He was also told that if he reported the incident he would get killed and his house burned down.
The teenager walked home, and accompanied with his mother reported the matter to police.
Officers are investigating the case, and have released a missing person bulletin for one of the suspects.
