Approximately 1,600 cannabinoid products, with a total gross weight of 24 kilograms, were detected and seized in two courier packages at Larnaca Airport, in a joint operation by the Department of Customs and the Drug Law Enforcement Unit (YKAN). A 31-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were arrested in connection with the case, while investigations continue.
The operation
In an announcement, the Department of Customs states that on 9 July, as part of joint actions by the Department and YKAN to detect narcotic substances at the entry points of the Republic of Cyprus, Customs officers at Larnaca Airport, in cooperation with YKAN members, carried out a coordinated and planned operation to check courier and postal packages.
Declared as "souvenirs"
During document checks, a consignment of two courier company packages arriving from another EU member state was selected, as they had a suspicious sender and recipient and were declared as "souvenirs". In the physical inspection that followed, the two cartons were found to contain approximately 1,600 items of various product types, including tea, coffee, chewing gum, gummies, cigarette filters, electronic cigarettes and rolled cigarettes, with a total gross weight of 24 kilograms, containing cannabis and/or other synthetic cannabinoid chemical substances.
The packages and their contents were seized by the Department of Customs and handed over to YKAN for further investigation.
The arrests
From the investigations that followed, a 31-year-old man was arrested in Limassol as the alleged recipient of the parcels, along with a 23-year-old woman who worked at the premises through which the preparations were allegedly sold. A search of the premises uncovered additional quantities of cannabinoid preparations, which were seized by YKAN members.
The investigation of the case continues by YKAN's Limassol division.
