A man was sentenced to four years in prison for possession with the intent to supply Class A and B drugs by a British Bases court.
The 52-year-old from Xylophagou, who was already wanted in relation to similar offences, was arrested near his village on May 6 for possession of only one gram of crystal meth but has remained in custody ever since.
Forensic investigation of the man’s phone enabled police to establish a link to supplying drugs, which led to the heavy sentence imposed by a Senior Judge at the British Bases Court in Dhekelia on October 2.
Speaking this week, Detective Inspector Fanos Christodoulou revealed the police work by the Division’s Community Action Team which resulted in the man changing his initial ‘not guilty’ plea in court.
He said: “Firstly, we should be very proud of the sentence which has been handed down by our court and it sends out a very strong message about how seriously we take crimes of this sort.
“I also want to pay tribute to the officers investigating this case, because although one gram of meth may not sound like a lot, by linking him to the supply of drugs, we were able to ensure he will now remain behind bars for a very long time.
“He had initially entered a plea of ‘not guilty’, but when presented with the compelling evidence secured by the police, he quickly changed that, which highlights the great job of our officers when investigating the case,” said Christodoulou.