Pafos Live 24 June 2025
As part of the actions taken by the Ministry of Transport in cooperation with the Customs Authorities to prevent the importation of drugs into Cyprus, a quantity of cannabis over 16 kg was detected and confiscated, during the baggage control of a 56-year-old man, who arrived at Larnaca airport, from a foreign country. The 56-year-old was arrested and detained to facilitate the interrogations.
Specifically, 2 nylon packages, containing cannabis, with a total gross weight of 16 kg and 600 grams, were found and confiscated. As a result, the 56-year-old was arrested for the flagrant offenses of illegal importation and possession of drugs, illegal supply of drugs by another person and illegal possession of drugs for the purpose of supplying to another person.
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On 21/6/2025, officers of the Customs Department at Larnaca Airport, after evaluating information, proceeded to check the luggage of a 32-year-old Turkish Cypriot passenger, bound for the United Kingdom. In her luggage were found 5 boxes of 200 cigarettes and 14 kilos of tobacco for a rolled cigarette. The tobacco products did not carry health labels in Greek and Turkish, an indication that they are duty-free. The passenger was arrested for flagrant offenses, while the luggage with its contents was confiscated. She was later released, after her proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offences with the payment of amounts of €6,000 was accepted.
Today, Tuesday 24/6/2025, officers of the Customs Department in cooperation with the members of the Larnaca Airport Customs Department, as part of the joint actions to prevent the importation of drugs into Cyprus, stopped a 56-year-old passenger, of Romanian origin, who arrived from a foreign country, for baggage control. During the radiodiagnostic test of the luggage, it became apparent that it may contain narcotic substances and for this reason the Customs officers proceeded to a physical check of the luggage. During the physical check, 2 large nylon airtight packages containing green dry plant matter were found to be cannabis, with a total gross weight of 16 kg and 600 grams. The passenger was arrested for flagrant offenses and the luggage with the drugs was confiscated by the Customs Department. Later, both the passenger and the drugs were handed over to the Police Station for further investigation of the case.
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Pafos Press
The issue of theft of EAC transformers in various parts of the countryside is turning into gangrene, as PafosPress recently revealed again.
For a few euros, the perpetrators put his life in immediate danger by cutting off high-voltage power and then literally tearing apart the transformers in order to get the copper cables to sell. The latest example is the theft of the EAC transformer inside the Water Department pumping station in the Kouklia area, between the Xeros and Diarizos rivers.
After cutting off the power using a ladder, the perpetrators made a "smear" of the transformer, with EAC technicians finding themselves faced with yet another act of looting that they had to restore.
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Filenews
The 49 year-old nurse accused of indecent assault on a foreigner on June 11 who rushed for examinations at the Famagusta Health Center, will begin on 10 July.
The 49-year-old faces one charge of indecent assault on a 44-year-old, while the second one involving abuse of power by a public official was dropped. The defendant was released by the Court after paying €800 in cash and signing bail of €10,000. He also handed over his travel documents, his name was placed on the stop list, while he will present himself to sign at a Police Station three times a week.
The case was reported to the Famagusta Police on June 14 by the 44-year-old, who reported that three days earlier he had gone with 10 other people to the Health Center of the Famagusta Hospital, in order to undergo examinations to secure a work permit in our country. There, as he said, he was taken over by the 49-year-old nurse, who told him that he had high blood pressure and that he needed to undergo a cardiogram.
According to the foreigner's complaint, the 49-year-old indecent assaulted and sexually harassed him while he was undergoing the specific examination. The 49-year-old allegedly stopped the obscene attack when someone knocked on the door to the exam room. Two days after the incident, the suspect allegedly approached the complainant through a dating app and then he filed a complaint with the Famagusta TAE, whose members put handcuffs on him.
The nurse claimed that the complainant proceeded with the complaint against him in revenge, because he delayed his examination and may have missed his appointment with the Aliens and Immigration Service.
It is recalled that the name of the 49-year-old nurse was also involved in the notorious case of the kidnapping of the two 11-year-old boys from a school in Larnaca in September 2018. The nurse had been arrested by the Police and had even been detained as a suspect for illegally administering sedative pills found in the possession of the perpetrator. He was also suspected of interfering in a judicial process, after allegedly attempting to influence a doctor to testify that he was medically monitoring the perpetrator of the kidnapping of the two children, who in March 2019 was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
It is noted that at that time the nurse was working at the Larnaca Hospital and had been placed on leave. After the expiration of his availability, he was transferred to primary care and placed at the Famagusta Health Center.
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The competent authorities of the Republic of Cyprus are reportedly convinced that the Azerbaijani man arrested on Saturday by the TAE Headquarters was acting in Cyprus with the aim of collecting information at the expense of Western interests.
This is demonstrated by the details of the case brought before Filenews, as well as the evidence and testimonies obtained by the Crime Detection Department of the Police Headquarters.
The Azerbaijani, for whom the Police are kept extremely secret, immediately went to the "Andreas Papandreou" air base in Paphos shortly after American transport planes and marines arrived there.
This happened last Friday, a day before his arrest. On this particular day, June 20, information was that American forces were transferred to the "Andreas Papandreou" air base.
On the same day, the Azerbaijani, who was in Limassol and is believed to be acting on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, took two buses to go to Paphos. When he arrived at a point near the "Andreas Papandreou" base, he went on foot to Paphos airport. He then rented a car, which he used to transport and implement his plans.
His move to Paphos and to the base area coincided with the information about a strong presence of Americans in the city, which was revealed to Greece by the well-known journalist and correspondent from Washington, Michalis Ignatiou.
A revealing piece of news published early Friday evening in the Hellas Journal and later broadcast on a SKAI TV show states: "Amid the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran and while the international community is waiting for the decisions of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on whether to directly involve America in the conflict, The mobility of the U.S. military forces is very wide.
In this context, American transports arrived in Cyprus, at the "Andreas Papandreou" air base in Paphos.
As the Hellas Journal learns, American troops are also in Paphos. Hundreds of U.S. Marines await orders to act in the Middle East. The U.S. has 43,000 U.S. troops in the wider neighbourhood."
The Azerbaijani, who has been in custody since last Saturday, has been walking around the wider area of the British bases in Akrotiri since last April carrying a high-definition camera.
According to data, which he transmitted to the Police, he had a professional Nikon Coolpix P1100 camera with him. It allows 125 times optical magnification (zoom) and has high definition. Such cameras are used for surveillance purposes.
It should be noted that the 26-year-old Azerbaijani who was arrested (22/6) for espionage at the naval base of Souda had the same modus operandi. He was in possession of a camera with 5,000 files. The photographs depicted military installations and ship arrivals and departures.
He was in possession of special encryption software through which he sent the photos to an unknown recipient and then deleted them.
During the interrogatory testimony that was received, he maintained a tough attitude and showed no willingness to cooperate, asking for a lawyer to be appointed.
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A shocking complaint was filed by a 25-year-old woman, who claims that she received threats for her life and for her family members, from a 40-year-old man, with whom she maintained a friendly relationship. As she claims, the suspect allegedly approached her on a beach in Germasogeia and threatened her that, if she is not with him, he will harm her family, even stating that he is in possession of a pistol.
The 40-year-old was brought today before the Limassol Court, which ordered his detention for one day with his lawyer, Marinos Armeftis, not to raise an objection to his detention. He is being investigated for the offences of illegal possession and transport of a firearm, the threat of use of force, as well as illegal surveillance and harassment. During interrogation, the suspect denied any involvement in the case. The investigations of the Limassol TAE are in progress and in addition to the testimonies that will be received, it is expected that material from the closed circuit surveillance of the areas where the crimes under investigation took place will also be examined.
According to information from Filenews, the incident unfolded on Sunday evening, when the 25-year-old was walking with her friends on the beach of Germasogeia. Then, the 40-year-old allegedly approached her, started shouting at her that he wanted her and threatened her that, if she was not with him, he would harm the men of her family, saying that he had a gun.
As the complainant stated in her testimony, she knew the suspect from mutual friends and they maintained a friendly relationship, however, he wished to proceed with a relationship, which she denied. She also claimed that, in the last week, the man had been constantly watching her and showing up wherever she was.
On Sunday night, the suspect allegedly pressured her to talk in his car. The 25-year-old finally agreed, under the pressure of his persistent and aggressive behaviour. After they boarded, the 40-year-old started driving without telling her where they were going. When she asked him where they were going, the suspect reportedly replied that "they will get rid of something".
At some point along the way and while the vehicle was moving at low speed, the young woman opened the door and jumped out. The suspect stopped the vehicle, followed her and, according to the complaint, told her that he would harm others. Then, he opened the case of his bag and according to the complainant, it was a visible pistol handle.
The 25-year-old managed to escape and go to the Police, where she filed an official complaint that she was threatened by the suspect who was in possession of a pistol. The 40-year-old was arrested in the early hours of Monday, with a court warrant. In a subsequent search of his home, nothing reprehensible was found.
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Around 1.10 a.m. today, there was an explosion on the façade of a beer hall in Agios Spyridon in Limassol.
According to the Police, preliminary examinations indicate that the explosion was due to the detonation of an improvised low-power explosive device.
From the explosion, there was minor damage to the façade of the premises.
Further tests will be carried out this morning.
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Around 2.20 a.m. today, a fire in a car owned by a 77-year-old resident plus. Makarios III in Limassol.
According to the Police, preliminary examinations appear to be arson that caused extensive damage to the car.
According to information from Filenews, the vehicle belongs to the grandmother of one of the minors who are in custody for a number of criminal acts committed recently in Limassol.
The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department. According to the Spokesman, Andreas Kettis, the private vehicle was parked under a wooden canopy in the yard of a house in Polemidia. From the fire, the vehicle suffered extensive damage to its front. To extinguish the fire, water pipes and breathing apparatus were used.
Further tests will be carried out this morning.
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The Famagusta Assize Court today imposed a six-year prison sentence on a 57-year-old man, after finding him guilty in a drug case.
The 57-year-old was arrested on February 1, 2025, in Larnaca, when about two kilos of cannabis were found in his possession.
Specifically, during an arrest and search of the suspect's vehicle, in an area of Larnaca, two packages containing about two kilos of cannabis, as well as a small amount of cocaine, were found both in his possession and in his car.
