Filenews 7/11
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, four persons were arrested, for offenses such as theft, illegal stay on the territory of the Republic, driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as for other traffic violations.
As part of these operations, during the night, 613 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 856 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 44 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, from which four complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 276 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while seven investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, eight vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made about traffic violations, 102 complaints concerned exceeding the speed limit. For driving under the influence of alcohol, 176 vehicle driver checks were carried out, from which 18 driver complaints emerged. From the traffic checks carried out, no case of driving under the influence of drugs emerged.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue every day, 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 30-year-old man was arrested yesterday by members of the DAOE - YPEE, as part of a coordinated operation, after collecting and evaluating data.
Specifically, around 5.20 yesterday afternoon, members of the DAOE stopped for inspection a specific vehicle, which was driven by a 30-year-old man, in an area of the province of Larnaca.
During the investigation that followed, a large amount of smuggled tobacco products and manufactured tobacco were found inside the vehicle.
The 30-year-old was arrested for a flagrante delicto offense and was then taken, along with his vehicle, to the Pera Chorio Nissou Police Station for further examinations.
Members of the Customs Department were also called to the Station. During the count that followed, it was found that they were 200 cigarette boxes (2,000 packs of 20 cigarettes) and 54 kg of tobacco for handmade cigarettes (1,080 packs of 50 grams each). All of the above products did not bear the marking required by law nor the required traceability codes.
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The Police arrested five persons today, in the context of investigating a case of aiding illegal entry, transit and stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, smuggling of migrants and other related offenses.
Specifically, around midnight today, members of the Green Line Surveillance Sub-Directorate, during a motorized patrol, spotted a vehicle parked on the Astromeritis - Koutrafa road.
During the inspection carried out, two persons were found outside the vehicle, who were in possession of travel suitcases, while two more persons were inside the vehicle.
From the examinations that followed, it was found that the four men, aged 53, 43, 32 and 26, had entered the free areas from a part of the occupied territories.
Therefore, they were arrested for the flagrante delicto offense of illegal entry into the territory of the Republic of Cyprus.
As part of the investigation of the case, the 51-year-old driver of the vehicle was also arrested, pursuant to a court arrest warrant.
The five arrested were brought before the Nicosia District Court today, which issued seven-day detention orders.
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They denied guilt in all 30 charges attributed to the five defendants in the much-praised case of the 233.5 kg of drugs in Strovolos.
The indictment at the Nicosia Criminal Court proceeded a day after the revelation of the "Plexa" operation of the DAOE and the new arrests related to the investigation of the original case in February. The possibility of re-registering a single indictment with more defendants, including some of the four suspects who were detained for five days yesterday, was also raised before the Court by the defense attorneys.
Drugs, criminal organization and explosives
The charges facing the five concern, among other things, conspiracy to commit a felony, participation in a criminal organization, participation and acceptance of the commission of crimes, as well as money laundering offenses.
They also include illegal possession of Class A and Class B controlled drugs, possession with intent to supply to other persons, and supply of drugs with references to cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, six drug-infused adhesives, and cannabidiol.
Other charges concern illegal possession of a firearm and explosives, with references to homemade bombs, cartridges and firecrackers.
The indictment includes a total of 30 charges, the majority of which concern all defendants.
The possibility of a single indictment
Before the arraignment proceeded, the lawyer of the second and third defendants, Mr. Dimitris Tsolakidis, stated that the defense was ready to respond. He pointed out, however, that the previous day a detention procedure had been carried out for four more persons.
Citing information from the investigative team, he said that for some of the four the registration of a case is imminent. In his estimation, "in all likelihood" the development will be the suspension and re-registration of a single indictment, which will include more persons as defendants.
For his part, the lawyer of the fourth accused, Andreas Christou, stated that there was no information on his part about such a development, at least in relation to his client. Without ruling out further developments, he opposed giving a new postponement and postponing the response to the indictment to another date.
The Court instructed the proceedings to proceed with the indictment.
What was found in the shelter in Strovolos
The starting point of the case was the interception of a vehicle in which two of the five defendants were riding in the province of Nicosia, on February 19, 2026. During the search of the authorities, firecrackers were found inside the vehicle, while quantities of cannabis and cocaine were found in the possession of one of the two.
Along the way, YKAN searches followed in two warehouses in Strovolos, specifically warehouses located inside the paternal home of the first accused. According to what the investigator said yesterday in the detention process of the four suspects, 153 kilograms and 443 grams of dry cannabis plant material, 63 kilograms and 689 grams of cocaine and 4 kilograms and 329 grams of cannabis resin were found in the warehouses.
380 grams of cannabidiol (CBD) and six glues impregnated with a narcotic substance are also recorded. The findings include a pistol, two gun models, a number of bullets, two improvised explosive devices and 11.340 firecrackers.
Five persons were arrested in connection with the case, against whom a criminal case was registered and referred for trial before the Nicosia Criminal Court. These are the five defendants who responded today to the indictment and remain as defendants in K.F.
The "storekeeper" and the instructions for collections
As the investigator stated yesterday during the detention process of the four suspects, the first defendant is attributed the role of the alleged storekeeper and manager of the quantities of drugs, which belonged to different persons.
According to the investigator, the first defendant allegedly received instructions on the supply of drugs to third parties and where the money from the transactions would end up. The instructions were for the money "to end up with the owners of the drugs or third parties indicated by them". He also allegedly bought drugs on behalf of others and proceeded with their payments.
The instructions, according to what he said, were either carried out by him himself or transmitted to the other four in the original case, who are described as carriers.
From mobile phones to new arrests
The investigation of the case continued by the DAOE after the initial arrests, with the seizure of documents and mobile phones and the securing of court orders for access to the recorded content of private communication.
As the investigator explained in yesterday's proceedings, conversations through applications with the four other suspects were detected on the mobile phone of the alleged warehouseman. The communications concerned the storage, transport and supply of drugs in various provinces, as well as the collection of money.
For one of the four, the investigator additionally cited the identification of genetic material with material found in a pistol dummy inside a warehouse. The arrest warrants of the four were secured on November 3.
Operation "PLEGMA" and 26 arrests
Further investigations led to yesterday's operation "Grid", with 26 arrests and 27 investigations. Those arrested included the five already on trial in the original case. The four other suspects who were taken to the Drug Court yesterday were remanded in five-day detention.
In total, seven of the 26 were brought before the Nicosia District Court yesterday. In addition to the four for drugs, two persons were detained for five days in proceedings for firecrackers and one in two-day detention for possession of explosives, involving bullets. For the rest of those arrested, the Police announced that some were charged in writing to be summoned later, while others were released pending the investigative examinations.
