Four suspects allegedly holding key roles in a network that trafficked the 233.5 kilos of drugs found at a safe house in Strovolos in February were remanded in custody for five days on Thursday, after investigators traced them through the phone of the man accused of storing the drugs.
The police investigator in the case told the court that conversations held by one of the five people already on remand in the February case, the so-called ‘storekeeper’, led to the four suspects. The storekeeper’s phone allegedly contained app-based communications with all four between 22 January and 19 February 2026.
The two storerooms searched on 19 February are at the storekeeper’s family home, the court heard. According to the investigator, he was the “storekeeper and manager of the drug quantities”. Drugs belonging to different people were allegedly kept in the storerooms, and he allegedly received instructions on supplying drugs to others and on where to send the money he collected, either to the owners of the drugs or to third parties they named. He also allegedly bought drugs on behalf of others and made the payments.
The storekeeper allegedly carried out the instructions himself or passed them on to the other four people on remand in the original case, who are described as couriers.
The four suspects
The first suspect allegedly told the storekeeper about purchases of large quantities of drugs and arranged his contact with buyers. He “kept notes on the drug transactions”, the investigator said. Of the drugs seized on 19 February, at least about 1,800 grams of cocaine, six kilos of cannabis and e-cigarettes containing cannabidiol were allegedly his, kept in the storekeeper’s storeroom. In the conversations, he allegedly gave instructions on transport, deliveries and the collection of payment for drugs, and sent mobile phone numbers so that the storekeeper or the couriers could arrange deliveries directly.
The second suspect allegedly discussed moving large quantities of drugs with the storekeeper and worked with both him and the first suspect, according to evidence given in court. He is alleged to have held at least about 58 kilos of cocaine and 40 kilos of cannabis of the drugs seized at the storeroom, and to have received large sums of money from the storekeeper on the first suspect’s instructions.
In a conversation on 12 February, the second suspect allegedly sent coordinates for where a van was parked in Larnaca district, and the storekeeper was to pass them on to two of the couriers. According to information gathered during the investigation, the investigator said, the two couriers went to a spot in Aradippou, collected the van on 13 February and drove 100 kilos of drugs to Nicosia.
The third suspect allegedly stored cocaine and cannabis at the storekeeper’s premises, and the two allegedly communicated about drug transports.
The fourth suspect allegedly sent the storekeeper coordinates, which the storekeeper allegedly forwarded to the couriers for drug deliveries. The investigator also said the fourth suspect’s DNA profile matches genetic material found on a replica pistol discovered in one of the storerooms on 19 February.
Arrests
The first suspect was arrested at 5am on Thursday at the Central Prisons and told police, “I don’t know anything”. He was reportedly convicted in a separate drugs case in the past.
The second was arrested at 4.30am while driving in Larnaca and said, “I have nothing to say”. The fourth suspect gave the same reply.
The third was arrested at 5am and said, “I want my lawyer”. A search of his home found 2,515 euros and two mobile phones, which he said were his.
Court ruling
Defence lawyers did not object to the remand application, but the judge said she was still obliged to examine it. She said that at this stage the court was only establishing whether the suspicions were reasonable, not assessing the evidence on its merits.
She ruled that the material before her disclosed the commission of the offences under investigation, and that evidence linked all four suspects to them and to the person from the original case already on trial at the Criminal Court. “I am satisfied of the suspects’ link to the offences under investigation,” she said.
Outstanding inquiries
The investigator told the court that significant work remained, including taking about eight statements from the suspects’ families, friends and colleagues, taking statements from the suspects themselves and investigating any claims they make. Genetic profiles of 11 unidentified men and one unidentified woman were found on exhibits in the case, among other evidence.
Operation Plegma
Separately, seven of the 26 people arrested in Operation ‘Plegma’ appeared before the Nicosia District Court on Thursday for remand hearings.
Four people aged 30, 34, 37 and 41 were remanded for five days on suspicion of illegal possession of drugs and related offences. In separate proceedings over offences including illegal possession of explosives, a 33-year-old and a 35-year-old were remanded for five days and a 48-year-old for two days.
Of the other people arrested, some were questioned and charged in writing, to be summoned to court later, while the rest were released pending further investigation.
