Limassol, Cyprus. A Cyprus appeals court on May 29 rejected the appeal of a 26-year-old man sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession and trafficking of more than 32kg of cannabis. The court said the sentence was not excessive and was in fact lenient given the quantity of drugs involved and the appellant’s role.
Appeal dismissed in full
It was made public on Wednesday that the appeals court dismissed all three grounds of appeal and upheld in full the original sentence imposed by the Limassol criminal court.
Case details
The case involved two individuals who admitted to conspiracy to commit a crime, illegal possession of cannabis and drug trafficking. The offences were committed in early 2023 in Limassol and were uncovered during a police drug squad operation.
Police found 25.8kg of cannabis and 6.46kg of cannabis resin. Both defendants were sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Grounds of appeal
The appellant, who was the second defendant in the case, argued that the criminal court had failed to take into account that the drugs were found in the first defendant’s flat and storage facility, had not properly considered his young age, and had imposed an excessive sentence.
Court reasoning
The appeals court found that the conclusions of the court of first instance were fully justified and said both defendants had played a significant role for personal gain.
It also said the appellant was fully aware of the nature and scale of the illegal activity.
Regarding his age, the appeals court said the criminal court had already taken it into account, alongside the need for strict penalties as a deterrent because of the “disastrous consequences” of such behaviour.
“The wretchedness of the victims, as well as the loss of lives, mainly of young people, requires the drastic intervention and participation of the judiciary in the universal effort to curb the modern scourge of drugs,” the appeals court said.
