Pafos Live 29/9
The Criminal Court that met yesterday in Paphos, sentenced a 56-year-old man to 17 years in prison for the crime of possession of a large amount of drugs with the purpose of supplying to other persons. The case concerned the location and seizure of 37 kilograms and 451 grams of cannabis in an area of Paphos.
In February 2025, as part of targeted actions to combat drug trafficking, YKAN proceeded to locate and confiscate the large amount of cannabis and arrest the convicted man.
Members of the Anti-Drug Service stopped the 55-year-old at the time, for a check, in whose possession a package containing a quantity of cannabis weighing about one kilogram was found. Earlier he had been seen in a field digging in the ground and receiving the specific package.
A search followed in the area, where a tank was found buried in the ground, which contained 29 other packages, containing green dry cannabis plant material.
In total, a quantity of cannabis weighing approximately 37 kilograms and 451 grams was located and confiscated.
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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.
The preventive police operations resulted in the arrest of four persons for various offences, including illegal possession of drugs, illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and disobedience of a court order.
As part of these operations, during the night, 397 drivers and 111 passengers were stopped and checked. At the same time, 33 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, where a complaint was made.
During traffic checks carried out, 199 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while six investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 110 concerned exceeding the speed limit, while as part of the police examinations, three vehicles were detained.
88 alcohol tests were carried out, which resulted in two complaints. In four preliminary drug tests, no positive results were recorded.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an increased/enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, with the aim of increasing the sense of security of citizens/protecting citizens and ensuring public order.
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Four-year-old Erven Cellio Kardak died after falling into a pool in the garden of a house where he was with his mother in Kazafani.
As reported in the occupied territories, his mother, 45, was arrested for the incident.
According to the "police", the incident took place at 18.30 yesterday. The mother was cleaning the house and had not taken the necessary precautions, as a result of which the child fell into the pool in the garden and lost his life.
The 45-year-old was found to be in the pseudo-state without "legal" documents.
The investigation into the incident continues.
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A traffic accident occurred on Monday morning (28/09), in the province of Nicosia, which resulted in the injury of a woman and the arrest of a 17-year-old driver.
According to the Police, around 11:00 yesterday morning, a member of the Police signalled to a vehicle, which was moving in the area of Aglantzia, to stop for a check.
However, the driver fled, driving dangerously. In his attempt to escape, he stopped the course of a vehicle driven by a woman.
The woman was injured in the collision and was taken to Nicosia General Hospital, where she was given First Aid and then discharged.
An investigation that followed found that the driver was a minor, 17 years old, and was in possession of a quantity of substances believed to be drugs. He then underwent a preliminary drug test with a positive indication.
The two drivers were tested for alcohol with zero reading.
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With the testimonies of beekeeper Menelaos Filippou, painter Charalambos Kekkos and disability aid recipient Kostas Petsas, the trial of the financial aspect of the Avvakoum case continued on Monday. Petsas claimed that he had donated €6.000 to the Monastery without receiving a receipt, while Filippou and Kekkos stated that the Monastery owes them amounts close to €2.500 and €15.000, respectively.
Beekeeper Menelaos Filippou said that he decided to support the monastery pro bono, offering free honey for sale by the Monastery.
As he said, in 2021 he provided 300 packages of honey without a label, in order to be sold by the Monastery, while then he gave another 200 packages. According to the witness, each package of honey was sold for €10 by the Monastery.
The witness also mentioned that he started issuing invoices in 2023 for the honey he delivered to the Monastery. As he said, he added a larger quantity to the specific invoices than was delivered, in order to cover the orders that had not been invoiced in the years 2021 and 2022.
He then claimed that the Monastery owes him an amount close to €2,500. The specific amount, as he said, he claimed from the Metropolitan of Tamassos Isaiah, who told him that he could not do anything until the judicial process was completed.
During the cross-examination of the witness, the defense attorney of the defendant Nektariou, Kostis Efstathiou, stated that these invoices "do not correspond to reality", as they are written on different dates and different amounts.
"These invoices don't say anything. These invoices are the product of your own initiative. They have nothing to do with the actual delivery time, nor with their price", noted Mr. Efstathiou.
Subsequently, the defense attorney of the accused Porphyrios, Efstathios Efstathiou, submitted to the witness that Porphyrios had never asked him to keep the honey transaction secret, contrary to what the beekeeper had claimed. The witness disagreed with Mr. Efstathiou and insisted on his own version.
Then the painter Charalambos Kekkos testified, who stated that he carried out work worth several tens of thousands of euros, initially at the house of Nektarios' mother and then at the Monastery, which he completed in 2024.
The witness claimed that the Monastery owes him an amount close to €15,000. As he said, he turned to the Metropolis of Tamassos for his payment, but from there he was referred to Nektarios.
He also said that he initiated a lawsuit against the Metropolis of Tamassos, in order to claim the refund of the amount he had paid for VAT.
Kostas Petsas, a disability aid recipient, also testified at Monday's hearing, claiming that he had donated €6.000 to the Monastery.
"At the beginning of 2022, Father Nektarios asked me to help the Monastery financially. He told me for an amount of 5-6 thousand euros and that they would give me a hagiography as a gift. I collected some money from relatives and friends and got 4 thousand euros retroactively from the government," he said.
"When I collected the amount of 6 thousand euros, we arranged a meeting. I handed over the amount in cash without being given any receipt. I put them in an envelope and gave them to a certain Andreas who was with Father Timotheos," the witness noted.
As he claimed, he was told that if the donation was made, his name would be written as a benefactor and he would be given a large image as a gift.
"I submit to you that such a thing never happened, you are lying," the defense attorney of the accused Nektarios, Kostis Efstathiou, told the witness.
"I'm telling the truth," the witness replied.
"I submit to you that you never gave an amount of 6 thousand euros to either Andreas or Timotheos," said Kostis Efstathiou, with the witness disagreeing and insisting on his version.
Subsequently, the defense attorney of the accused Porphyrios, Efstathios Efstathiou, submitted to the witness that he had no relationship or contact with Father Porphyrios, something to which the witness agreed.
The next hearings were set for October 5 and 7, at 09:30.
It is recalled that the main defendants in the case are the deposed monks Nektarios and Porphyrios. Among other things, they face charges of conspiracy to defraud, forgery and use of false documents, theft from an agent, illegal possession of property, money laundering, interference in court proceedings and filing a false tax return.
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They took 39 kilograms of cocaine and replaced it with flour - Incredible theft in a court in Fiji
Police in Fiji are investigating an unprecedented incident of tampering with evidence after it emerged that up to $31 million worth of cocaine had been replaced with flour in a courtroom.
At the heart of the investigation is the disappearance of almost 39 kilograms of cocaine, which was seized as part of a major drug trafficking case. The competent authorities are now examining the circumstances under which the drugs were replaced, as well as the role of the persons responsible for safeguarding the evidence.
The Police are investigating a possible violation of the process of managing and storing the seized, while answers are being sought as to how the actual amount of cocaine disappeared from the place where it was kept.
The case concerns cocaine kept in the Supreme Court of Suva, the capital of Fiji, as evidence in the trial of Fiji-Canadian Joshua Aziz Rahman. According to the ABC, 32 kilograms of cocaine remaining in court had been replaced with flour, while earlier it was found that another seven kilograms had disappeared. Thus, a total of 39 kilograms of cocaine linked to the case can no longer be traced.
The case was revealed on September 15, when an inspection of the room where the evidence was kept found that seven of the 39 cocaine bars registered as evidence were missing. Subsequently, forensic examinations showed that the rest of the evidence had also been falsified.
Fijian police announced that "all exhibits had been tampered with" and that the investigation is focusing on the persons who had direct responsibility for handling the evidence in the Supreme Court's archive.
At the same time, the authorities announced that a person considered of interest in the investigation is abroad and is expected to be examined. The amount of drugs was seized in 2019 from the home of Joshua Aziz Rahman in the Kaubati area.
According to the data of the case, it was about 39,5 kilograms of cocaine, the value of which was estimated at about 31 million dollars. Rahman was sentenced in 2021 to 23 years in prison, with a minimum of 14 years, while his sentence was maintained on appeal.
Fiji's Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General, Siromi Turaga, has described the case as particularly serious and has stated that the management and security of judicial evidence is an institutional responsibility.
He has assured that an independent investigation is being carried out by the police's criminal investigation service, while he has stressed that the executive will not interfere with the operational investigation. The police investigation is ongoing and so far it has not been announced that anyone has been charged.
