Larnaca, Cyprus. A man and a woman were sentenced to 11 and 2.5 years in prison on Tuesday by the Larnaca district court after 17.6kg of cannabis was found at Larnaca airport in June.
Arrest and charges
The 66-year-old man and the 48-year-old woman, both from Italy, had travelled from Spain and were arrested at Larnaca airport when the drugs were found in their luggage at baggage control. They were found guilty of illegally importing and possession of drugs, as well as possession of drugs with intent to supply.
Police comments and case figures
At the time of their arrest, head of the police drugs squad (Ykan) Christos Andreou said profits generated from drug smuggling are enormous, adding: “So traffickers keep coming back with new methods and new tactics.” Ykan said Cyprus investigated over 1,000 drug-related cases annually in recent years, with 1,095 in 2023 and 1,075 in 2024.
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