Filenews 21 June 2026
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, 5 persons were arrested, for various offenses including illegal possession of drugs, traffic offenses and illegal stay.
During the night, 698 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 985 drivers and passengers were checked. At the same time, 55 inspections of premises were carried out, from which 9 complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 301 complaints were made about various traffic violations, of which 90 concern driving at excessive speed. A total of 460 alcohol tests were performed, with 37 positive results, as well as 11 preliminary drug tests with 5 positive results. Also, as part of the police examinations, 26 vehicles were detained.
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As part of an information assessment, members of YKAN Famagusta in collaboration with YDAP, investigated this morning, a plot of land in the free area of Famagusta, in the presence of the 49-year-old owner. Within the plot, a 28-year-old man was found to be illegally residing in the territory of the Republic and was arrested for a flagrante delicto, while from the investigation that followed, the following were found in a plastic toolbox suitcase and confiscated:
- Six kilograms and 373 grams of cannabis resin
- One kilogram of synthetic hemp powder (substance known as KIEF)
The above two persons were arrested for flagrante delicto offenses and are expected to appear tomorrow before the Famagusta District Court, for the purpose of issuing their detention.
Kief or "cannabis powder" is a fine crystalline powder that detaches from cannabis flowers and is the first time this substance has been detected in such a quantity.
YKAN Famagusta continues the examinations.
Recently, more and more new types of drugs have been detected in Cyprus. However, the latest large quantities of seizures demonstrate the readiness and determination through which YKAN acts, to combat the illegal use and trade of any prohibited substances.
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The Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of a foreigner who had been detained for deportation purposes for almost 16 months, ruling that the continuation of his detention was not justified, as the competent authorities did not show due haste and diligence to implement his removal from the Republic of Cyprus.
The decision was issued today by Judge L. Dimitriadou-Andreou in the context of an application for the issuance of a Habeas Corpus warrant registered by the foreigner, who had been detained in the Menogia detention center since February 2025.
The applicant had entered Cyprus in 2015 and submitted an application for international protection, which was definitively rejected in 2020. In the same year, he was sentenced by the Permanent Criminal Court of Larnaca to six years in prison for offenses related to the illegal import and possession of controlled drugs for the purpose of supplying to another person. Following his release from prison in March 2025, detention and deportation orders were issued against him as a prohibited immigrant.
The Court recalled that detention for the purpose of expulsion constitutes a restriction on the fundamental right to liberty and cannot be converted into an end in itself or prolonged indefinitely without a real prospect of removal. As noted in the decision, the legality of the duration of detention depends on whether the competent authorities actively and with due diligence promote the deportation process.
Examining the facts of the case, the Supreme Court found that, despite the re-evaluations of detention carried out at regular intervals, no substantial action was taken to execute the deportation order. Special reference is made to the fact that as early as July 2025, the competent services had concluded that the applicant was from Sierra Leone and not from Gambia, however it was not shown what specific actions have been taken since then to secure the necessary travel documents and remove him.
The judge also noted that it was not sufficiently explained why it took more than 15 months of detention before proceedings were initiated to issue new deportation orders to Sierra Leone and to secure a Cypriot travel document. At the same time, it held that the refusal of the applicant to cooperate at an earlier stage does not relieve the administration of the obligation to take all legal and necessary measures for the fastest possible execution of the deportation.
According to the decision, from September 2025 onwards, no substantial actions were taken to justify the continuation of the detention, while there was no concrete and immediate prospect of the applicant's removal from the Republic.
The Supreme Court concluded that the competent authorities did not prove that they took concrete and effective measures to implement the deportation without unnecessary delays. It therefore considered that the almost 16-month detention had become unjustifiably prolonged and illegal.
The application was granted and a Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum order was issued, ordering the immediate release of the applicant. At the same time, the Court awarded costs in favour of the applicant and at the expense of the Republic.
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Cy Mail
Police have arrested a third suspect in connection with a drug case involving the seizure of opioid narcotics in Limassol.
According to the police, the 22-year-old man was wanted in relation to the case and was arrested on Sunday under an outstanding court warrant.
The arrest follows the earlier arrest and subsequent remand of two other suspects, aged 23 and 21.
During checks carried out after his arrest, police established that the 22-year-old was residing illegally in the Republic and he was subsequently rearrested for the offence of unlawful stay.
On Friday afternoon, the 23-year-old suspect was stopped by the police while walking along a street in Limassol. A search of his bag uncovered two nylon packages containing dried poppy pods with a total gross weight of 418 grams.
Officers subsequently searched the suspect’s home, where they found the 21-year-old and a cardboard box containing eight nylon packages of dried poppy pods with a total gross weight of 1.682 kilograms.
Both men were arrested and later brought before the Limassol district court, which ordered their detention for eight days
