Pafos Live 8 April 2025
The police announced an arrest in connection with yesterday's malicious damage in Paphos. According to the assistant police director of Paphos, Michalis Nicolaou, for the damages with the use of spray paint in a Square in Paphos, yesterday afternoon a man was arrested a 17year old from Nicosia district with a court warrant.
At the same time, a 52-year-old man from the same province is also wanted with a court arrest warrant.
* * * * * *
A new quantity of cannabis with a gross weight of two kilos was detected and confiscated by the Ministry of Health.
The drugs were found in two packages, which were received at the Post Office, from a foreign country and a recipient's address in the Famagusta district. These packages were received in mid-March 2025, but they were not requested by any person.
From the examinations of the Ministry of Health, a testimony was obtained against a specific person, against whom a court warrant of arrest was issued and is wanted.
* * * * * *
Filenews
Investigations continue at an intensive pace in relation to the case of 37 kilos of cannabis that were found last Friday at Larnaca Airport by the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the customs authorities. The 34-year-old suspect from the United States, who arrived in Cyprus with two suitcases from Paris via Amsterdam and Brussels, is reportedly not cooperating with the authorities. From the examinations so far, it appears that there is a drug trafficking ring operating in Cyprus and abroad behind the arrested woman.
The authorities are looking for her associates and specifically the person who recruited her, as well as the persons who supplied her with the 37 kilograms of cannabis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to carry out specific examinations regarding the identification of the persons involved, while it is expected to request the assistance of Interpol and Europol, as well as other countries from which the 34-year-old began her journey.
In addition to the above, tests will be carried out to investigate whether the suspect had planned other similar trips in the recent past. As far as the presumptions are concerned, they were received to be sent for scientific examinations to the General Chemistry of the State for genetic material isolation tests, as well as to the laboratories of the Ministry of Environment for dactyloscopic examinations. Two mobile phones were found in the possession of the suspect, with the investigators of the case considering access to private communication.
AsFhilenews is able to know, the 34-year-old woman upon her arrival at Larnaca airport was stopped by customs officers, passed through the green passage "nothing to declare", while during the radiodiagnostic test of the two luggage there was an indication that their contents were probably drugs. In the physical inspection that followed, cannabis with a total gross weight of 36 kg and 600 grams was found, which was packaged in 31 and 30 nylon airtight packages respectively.
The 34-year-old was brought before the Larnaca Court last Saturday, which ordered her pre-trial detention for a period of 8 days. Her lawyer, Onofri Economou, did not object to the detention of the 34-year-old.
It is noteworthy that in the last 10 days, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the customs authorities, seized 92 kilograms of cannabis from Larnaca airport alone. At the same time, from the beginning of the year until the first days of April, about 270 kilograms of cannabis have been seized.
* * * * * *
The two accused Iranians who are involved in the deception of a 33-year-old woman, from which they extracted €12,000 under the pretext that they would secure her documents to go to Germany, are now facing 9 charges. After the arrest of the 50-year-old Iranian, the Police also proceeded to the arrest of a 27-year-old man, who is allegedly involved in the case.
The two defendants appeared today before the Limassol Court, where the case was registered. They face 9 charges, which relate to the offences of conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, circulation of a false document, extortion of money through false representations, assisting the illegal entry into and stay in the Republic, threatening, money laundering, assault and theft.
The court ordered the defendants to remain in custody until mid-April, when the case was set to answer the charges they face.
As Filenews had written in a previous publication, behind the deception of the 33-year-old there seems to be a well-organized network of exploitation of persons. The 50-year-old accused from Iran managed to extort €12,000 under the pretext that he would secure documents for her to go to Germany. The victim fell into the plot and was trapped in Cyprus without anyone to support her. In addition to the 50-year-old, the Police also arrested the 27-year-old roommate of the 50-year-old after he was indicated by the complainant.
The woman, as she complained to the Police, had contacted the 50-year-old online while he was in Iran. He promised her that he could secure the necessary documents to travel to Germany. They agreed that the cost of the "facility" would be €12,000 and the 33-year-old gave the first €6,000 to a relative of the 50-year-old in Iran, while the rest she would give when she arrived in Cyprus.
After payment, the victim travelled to Istanbul and then to Cyprus through the occupied territories. There she was confronted with a series of twists and turns, after being transported in two vehicles to various parts of Nicosia and finally ending up in Pournara. In fact, when she got there, the 50-year-old visited her and she gave him the rest in cash.
The complainant left Pournara at the end of December 2024 and went to Limassol, where she initially stayed on the beach and later found an apartment under which the 50-year-old lived. Despite promises of her passage to Germany, the victim realized that she had been deceived. She asked the 50-year-old to return her €12,000, however, according to her allegations, he threatened her that he would send people to kill her.
* * * * * *
After the arrest of the 35-year-old, allegedly manager of the apartment buildings in Oroklini, the Larnaca Police Department issued four more arrest warrants in connection with last Saturday's bloody incidents.
The three are migrants from Congo, one of whom is 30 years old and has been arrested, while a Romanian who allegedly participated in the operation is being sought. It is noted that the Police arrested another 29-year-old foreigner because he was illegally residing in the Republic of Cyprus.
It is recalled that the tragic toll of all the unacceptable things that happened is the critical injury of a 27-year-old from Congo and the serious injury of a two-month-old infant, whose father was also injured when he was hit with a sharp object.
It is recalled that on Saturday morning, about 15 people, who had their faces covered with masks and hoods, tried to remove the immigrants from the area, according to the complaints, under the instructions of the 35-year-old, who allegedly coordinated the operation. The hooded men, who allegedly held knives and other sharp objects, as migrants claimed speaking to Filenews, began breaking apartment doors with axes.
The Police were informed about the incidents, as it reports, around 10:30 in the morning and members of the Police rushed to the scene, who found that the tension had eased. However, at 12:30 p.m., new incidents began between the immigrants and the group of persons allegedly recruited by the 35-year-old. Reinforcements were called on the spot and according to the Police, migrants began to throw stones at members, while in order to control the tension, tear gas was used. Chaos prevailed in the area and at some point the 27-year-old was found bloodied on a main road of Oroklini,
At another point in the complex, a father from Congo was injured, who was hit with a sharp object in the hand, as well as his two-month-old infant. According to a recent update from the Police, the health condition of the 27-year-old from Congo who was hit on the head remains critical.
As for the two-month-old infant, he continues to be hospitalized with a haemorrhage at the Makarios Hospital and his health condition is characterized as out of danger.
* * * * * *
The Police arrested a 45-year-old man, who was wanted in connection with an investigated case of conspiracy to commit a felony, preparation and circulation of false documents.
The 45-year-old was arrested on March 11, in the area of the British Bases, in the area of Episkopi-Kourion, after the cooperation of the Cyprus Police and the British Bases Police.
A judicial procedure followed during which it was decided to hand him over to the Authorities of the Republic, with the Police proceeding to the arrest of the 45-year-old, pursuant to a court warrant, on the afternoon of Monday, April 07, 2025.
The case is being investigated by the TAE of the Headquarters
* * * * * *
A five-year prison sentence was imposed at the Permanent Assize Court of Larnaca on a 24-year-old man, against whom a case for trafficking irregular immigrants had been registered.
The offences for which a prison sentence was imposed on the 24-year-old, were committed on 13/04/2024, in the Famagusta District and concerned:
- Transport of persons by waterway by overloaded boat,
- Assistance or assistance to a migrant prohibited from entering the Republic;
- Participation in migrant smuggling and
- Participation in an organized criminal group.
The 33-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to the 7 most serious charges, relating to possession and possession for the purpose of supplying drugs, today before the Limassol Permanent Assize Court, in relation to the large quantity of drugs found and confiscated last November, following an operation by the Police Headquarters in Limassol.
Two more people are accused in the case - the 50-year-old businessman and his 32-year-old employee. It is recalled that the three persons were arrested in the act of smuggling drugs, outside the parking lot of a beach hotel in Agios Tychonas.
The indictment of the notorious case includes 17 charges, which were pronounced during today's proceedings. The 50-year-old and the 32-year-old stated that they did not admit to the serious charges. The 32-year-old, however, admitted possession of the 11 grams of cannabis found on him.
As for the 2nd defendant (33 years old), he admitted the charges related to possession and possession for the purpose of supplying 5 kilos of cocaine and 4 kilos and 800 grams of cannabis, which were found during the operation of the Police Department. In addition, the 33-year-old admitted possession of 7 kilograms of cannabis found at his residence in Nicosia – but not possession for the purpose of supply. He did not admit the other charges, such as conspiracy and money laundering.
The lawyer of the 33-year-old, Thanasis Athanasiou, said that his client cooperated with the Police and wants the process to be completed as soon as possible.
He explained that their intention is to impose a sentence without the need for further presence in the Court.
For his part, the 50-year-old's lawyer stated that no additional witness material has been given.
Following the above developments, the Court of Assize set the continuation of the case for the beginning of May.
It is recalled that during the referral process of the case, reference was made to what the 33-year-old defendant said during interrogation before the Police. As he said, a person who did not name gave him instructions to involve the 50-year-old businessman. The specific person allegedly told him that the 50-year-old "manages the night" of Limassol, which should pass into other hands. The 33-year-old claimed that he consented to involve the 50-year-old because, as he said, he was afraid for his brother who is being held in the Central Prison for another drug case.
* * * * * *
Another 8 kilos of cannabis were detected, as part of the investigations of the Ministry of Transport for the detection cases of 11.5 kg on April 4, 2025 and 2 kg detected yesterday.
It is recalled that for the case of 11.5 kilograms of cannabis, a 29-year-old man was arrested by the British Bases Police. The Anti-Narcotics Service (NIA), after evaluating information and coordinated actions, had identified the quantity of drugs on Friday, April 4 in the Larnaca area.
According to an announcement by the Police of the Bases, the man was detained after appearing at the Court of BB Dhekelia on Sunday morning after his arrest in the area of Agios Nikolaos on April 4, for illegal possession of a large quantity of category B drugs.
In a joint operation, police officers from BB and the RC Drug Enforcement Agency intercepted what was described as a "controlled drug delivery transaction" in a restaurant parking lot. According to information available to the police, they were able to locate the drugs in a courier service and the RC police allowed the controlled drug delivery to take place before stopping the accused.
The Senior Lieutenant, Fanos Christodoulou, who is the head of the Crime Fighting Department of the BB in Dhekelia, explained how the arrest was made.
He said: "We have a very strong cooperative relationship with our colleagues in the Police of the Republic of Cyprus and after information that indicated that the delivery would take place in the area of Agios Nikolaos, where the man comes from, we were able to locate the drugs until the moment we intervened and proceeded with the arrest.
"This was a complicated case as it involves both police departments working coherently, but fortunately everything went according to our plan and we arrested the accused."
The man is currently in custody, awaiting his transfer to the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus.
