Pafos Press 17 March 2026
The authorities proceeded to arrest Russian women with Cypriot citizenship after detecting €150,000 in their possession during a check at the Agios Dometios checkpoint.
Specifically, according to an announcement, on 12/3/2026, officers of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point carried out a check on a vehicle driven by a woman of Russian origin with Cypriot citizenship and a co-driver, another woman also of Russian origin and with Cypriot citizenship.
During the check in the vehicle, 2 boxes of 200 cigarettes each, 12 boxes of 200 heated cigarettes each and 2 packages of rolling tobacco weighing a total of 100 grams were found, which did not bear any health hazard labels in Greek and Turkish, indicating that they were duty-free.
Also, during a check carried out on a bag belonging to the passenger, bundles of cash with a total value of €150,000 were found, for which no clear explanations or supporting documents had been provided as to their origin and intended use. The women involved were arrested for flagrante delicto, while the tobacco products in question and the vehicle used to transport them were confiscated.
They were later released and the vehicle was returned to them, after her proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of a total amount of €600 was accepted. The suspicious cash was seized by officers of the Customs Department for further investigation in cooperation with the Police and MOKAS.
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Filenews
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
As a result of the preventive policing operations, twelve persons were arrested for various offences, including theft, possession of drugs, possession of offensive instruments, domestic violence, and illegal stay in the territory of the Republic.
As part of these operations, during the night, 953 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 1,276 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 24 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, from which three complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 650 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 22 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, 20 vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made for traffic violations, 141 complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out. Two vehicle drivers were found positive in a preliminary test for driving under the influence of drugs, while one driver was found positive for driving under the influence of alcohol. Four vehicle driver checks were carried out for driving under the influence of drugs, while 86 driver checks were carried out for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Coordinated policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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A gang of burglars who allegedly operated with professional equipment and "hit" luxury apartments and residences in Limassol is in the hands of the Limassol Police Department and specifically the Burglary Unit. In just three and a half months, the Police in Limassol are investigating about 40 burglaries, with the loot estimated to exceed €7 million.
Authorities handcuffed three Georgian suspects, aged 49, 39 and 48, who are allegedly linked to some of the cases. The suspects were brought before the Court on Monday morning for the issuance of a pre-trial detention order. The Court, after hearing the suspects, who were not represented by lawyers, approved the request of the investigators of the Burglary Unit of the TAE Limassol and ordered their detention for a period of eight days.
The three suspects refused to give explanations for the objects found in the apartment where they lived, while during their interrogation at the offices of the TAE Limassol they exercised the right to remain silent. The offenses of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, participation in a criminal organization, illegal possession of property, forgery, impersonation, circulation of a forged document, as well as illegal stay in the Republic, an offense that concerns the 49-year-old since November 8, 2023, are being investigated against them.
40 burglary cases – The information that led to the suspects
According to the facts presented by the Police to the Court, during the period from December 2025 to 15/3/2026, the Burglary Unit of the TAE Limassol is investigating about 40 cases of burglaries and thefts in luxury apartments and residences, focusing on the areas of Germasogeia, Agios Athanasios, Panthea and the center of Limassol. The total loot from the above burglaries and thefts concerns jewellery, gold, sums of money, expensive watches and branded bags and exceeds €7 million.
During the above period of time, a large volume of closed circuit surveillance (CCTV) was received and their analysis obtained photographs as well as evidence of the suspects' behaviour.
On March 14, information was received by the Police that a specific car was seen on a street in Agios Athanasios moving suspiciously at low speed and monitoring an apartment building with luxury apartments. From subsequent examinations at a car rental agency that owns the above vehicle, it was found that the car was rented on March 11 by the 49-year-old suspect.
They unloaded objects hidden in bags and fabrics
On the same day, information was also given to the Burglary Unit of the Limassol Police Department that Georgians live in a specific apartment in Germasogeia, who behave suspiciously. In fact, some of them resemble people whose photos had been published by the Police as suspects of burglaries and thefts.
The same information stated that these persons unloaded various items from rental cars, which they hid with fabrics and bags and transported them to the specific apartment.
For these cases, as the Assistant Police Director of Limassol, Lefteris Kyriakou, stated in his statements, an operation plan was activated with members of the Police to put specific areas under surveillance. The apartment was placed under discreet surveillance in cooperation with another Police service, while a suspicious vehicle allegedly used by the suspects was also located.
On Sunday (15/3) the vehicle was located and stopped by members of the Police. During the check, the 49-year-old was identified, who allegedly resisted his arrest, but was eventually arrested. At the same time, members of the TAE, the OPE and the YDAP carried out a search, by virtue of a court warrant, in the apartment where two other persons aged 39 and 48 lived.
During the investigation, specialized burglary tools used by professional locksmiths to open doors were identified, such as thickness gauge erasers, keys, aluminium strips, levers, screwdrivers, as well as jewellery, a watch, clothing, hats, GPS positioning devices and electronic cameras. The objects appear to be linked to at least ten burglaries that were recently committed in Limassol.
As Mr. Kyriakou noted, the tools identified are used to open security doors without any obvious violation. With special mechanisms and techniques, the members of the spiral managed to enter apartments without leaving any traces of burglary. In some cases, the lock was removed, while in others the perpetrators appear to have entered the apartments without any apparent intervention in the door, using special keys and specialized tools, even when the security doors were locked.
From the evidence so far, it appears that this is an organized gang with experience in this type of burglary, which had the necessary equipment and used electronic means of surveillance. In particular, they seem to have used electronic cameras and other means to remotely monitor the areas and detect when the tenants were absent from their homes.
In relation to the duration of their action, so far it seems that these persons were active for about 10 to 15 days. In relation to the IDs presented by the suspects, the Assistant Police Director of Limassol, Lefteris Kyriakou, stated that "we believe that these are fake documents and examinations will be carried out with scientific methods to verify the real details of the suspects".
As he explained, it does not seem that the IDs have been secured by Cyprus. These are documents from other countries and there will be cooperation with Interpol and Europol to establish their origin and whether the information listed is genuine.
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Drugs were hidden yesterday Sunday in the visiting room of a prisoner from Larnaca which were carried by a visitor. She was found with a significant amount of Crystal meth or crystal methadone before they were handed over and she was arrested by members of YKAN.
According to information from Filenews, the arrest was made after monitoring the visit of the specific convict for a long time, due to information that he was probably supplied with drugs.
The same prisoner, according to our same information, had attempted to transport drugs to the prison during his transfer to the Court several months ago, which is why he had raised suspicions that he would repeat the operation in another way.
Yesterday, Sunday, he was visited by a woman on a scheduled visit to the Central Prison. In a check carried out by the visitor, about 17 grams of white powder believed to contain the synthetic drug Crystal, which is considered to be the cocaine of the poor, were found in her possession.
After the suspicious substance was located, the woman was arrested for a flagrante delicto by members of YKAN and was taken to the office of the Service Unit in Nicosia for interrogation. The white substance detected will be sent to the State Chemical Laboratory for confirmation that it is the strong drug crystal methadone and then the case will take the path of justice.
The Prison Directorate has specially trained prison guards to detect narcotic substances, has a specialized machine with which those who pass through the closed prison are checked, while it works closely with the Anti-Drug Service, in order to identify any quantities that are attempted to be imported and used by prisoners.
Also, the Prison Department has specially trained dogs which are used during checks in cells in order to detect drugs.
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The Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca imposed a 12-year prison sentence on a 35-year-old man from the USA, for importing 15 kilograms of cannabis.
The 35-year-old was found guilty after his own admission to charges of importing and supplying drugs to other persons, as well as impersonation. The accused rushed from the USA to Cyprus in order to pick up a package of drugs. The Anti-Drug Service was alerted on May 19, 2025, when a box arrived at a private company in Larnaca, in which 30 packages of cannabis, about 15 kilograms, were found. The accused appeared to be the recipient of the drugs and was called to pick them up.
The box was handed over to him on May 25 and when he received it, members of YKAN intervened and handcuffed him. In his testimony, the 35-year-old had said that he arrived in Cyprus in order to receive packages of drugs and deliver them to unknown persons, for a fee of 1000 euros for each delivery. He also claimed that he was facing financial problems and for this reason he accepted to have an intermediary role.
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The authorities have issued an arrest warrant against a special constable serving in the province of Limassol, in the context of investigating a case of attacking a mobile camera operator and causing malicious damage to a vehicle. A 37-year-old man is already in custody for the same case.
According to the Police, police investigations are underway regarding an incident of attack on a mobile photo-marking camera operator, as well as causing malicious damage to a vehicle, with the authorities proceeding with the issuance of an arrest warrant against a special constable serving in the province of Limassol.
According to the data under investigation, the incident took place in the early hours of last Thursday, March 12, 2026, on the Paphos - Limassol highway.
During the incident, there was allegedly an attack on the operator of the mobile photo-marking camera, while damage was also caused to a vehicle.
As part of the investigation of the case, the authorities have already arrested a 37-year-old man, who is in custody for investigations.
At the same time, an arrest warrant was issued against a special constable serving in the province of Limassol, with the Police continuing the examinations to fully clarify the case.
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The Permanent Criminal Court of Famagusta imposed on Friday, March 13, in a closed-door procedure, a 13-year prison sentence on a 51-year-old man, after he was found guilty of a series of serious sexual offenses against a 26-year-old foreign woman, committed between July and September 2023, in Ayia Napa and Paralimni.
Information states that the Criminal Court had previously found the 51-year-old guilty of 15 of the 16 charges he faced, including eight counts of rape, as well as other related offenses, such as sexual abuse with indecent assault, threats and harassing surveillance.
In determining the sentence, the Criminal Court emphasized the seriousness of the offenses and the systematic nature of the behaviour, pointing out that in cases of multiple incidents of rape, case law places the sentence at the highest levels of the penalty scale.
The Criminal Court also examined the relevant Cypriot and English case law on similar offences, where prison sentences of 9 to 10 years have been considered appropriate even in isolated cases of rape.
In this case, the fact that the offenses did not concern a single incident but multiple acts in different cases was taken into account, which increased the seriousness of the case.
The Court also took into account the criminal record of the accused, who had previous convictions for other offenses, but not of a sexual nature.
The Criminal Court imposed on the 51-year-old, after a long court process, concurrent prison sentences, with a maximum sentence of 13 years for the rape charges.
