Police arrested a 22-year-old man in Nicosia on Thursday after an operation that began with a cannabis parcel intercepted by customs led them to more than six kilos of the drug. A taxi driver who collected the parcel was also arrested but later released without charge.
Officers from the Organised Crime Combating Directorate and the Drug Law Enforcement Unit (YKAN) are investigating the case. The offences include illegal importation and possession of drugs, possession with intent to supply, money laundering and conspiracy to commit a felony, police said.
The investigation began in cooperation with customs after a parcel arrived in Cyprus on 26 October. It contained cannabis with a gross weight of 2.56 kilos and was addressed to a specific recipient.
At around midday on Thursday, a 62-year-old taxi driver picked up the parcel in Engomi and was arrested at the scene. He told officers that a customer had asked him to collect it and deliver it to a particular address, and that he did not know what was inside.
Further inquiries produced evidence against the 22-year-old, who was spotted driving in the area. Police put his car under surveillance and later stopped it in Engomi.
A search found three plastic packages of cannabis on the floor mat on the passenger side, with a gross weight of about 100 grams. He was arrested at the scene.
Officers then found more cannabis in various packages elsewhere in the car, with a gross weight of about 3.84 kilos. They also seized €4,330 in cash and five mobile phones from him.
The taxi driver was questioned at YKAN’s Nicosia offices, but nothing emerged against him. Police searched his home with his written consent and found nothing illegal, and he was released the same evening.
The 22-year-old is expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court on Friday, when police will seek a remand order. Investigations are continuing.
