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Police launched a sweeping, coordinated crackdown on suspected organized crime in Larnaca this week, arresting more than a dozen people following a gunfire incident and violent altercation that unfolded just meters from the city’s police headquarters.
The operation, one of the most extensive in recent years in the coastal city, was triggered by a confrontation and shots fired on Jan. 17 in central Larnaca. Authorities say the violence was the culmination of escalating tensions linked to extortion demands and alleged “protection” rackets targeting local businessmen.
By Friday, police had arrested at least 13 individuals across multiple, parallel operations involving the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Rapid Response Unit, the Larnaca Police Directorate and specialized anti-crime units. Several more suspects were already in custody from earlier phases of the investigation.
Two businessmen at the center
At the heart of the case are two well-known Greek Cypriot businessmen, aged 47 and 43, who were arrested in near-simultaneous operations at their homes and business premises. A district court in Larnaca ordered their four-day detention as police investigate allegations of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor and interference with judicial proceedings. The 47-year-old also faces an additional probe into unlawful possession of property.
Police said the older suspect was arrested at his company offices, where officers executing a court-approved search warrant seized a large amount of cash and several bank cheques. The 43-year-old was arrested later the same day at his residence.
Both men deny all accusations.
According to testimony presented in court, the businessmen came under suspicion after meeting the complainant in a hotel in Oroklini days after the shooting. The complainant told investigators the two men sought to distance themselves from a 48-year-old suspect already in custody, whom police consider a central figure behind the Jan. 17 violence.
The complainant further alleged that threats demanding money originated from a foreign national believed to be operating from outside Cyprus.
Extortion, gunfire and organized crime
Authorities say the wider investigation points to a criminal group that repeatedly approached a local businessman demanding payment in exchange for “protection.” When the businessman refused, tensions escalated, culminating in the street confrontation and gunfire near police headquarters.
Six people, five foreign nationals and the 48-year-old Cypriot believed to be the group’s leader, were arrested shortly after the incident and placed under eight-day detention. Investigators say the group may have been operating in the Larnaca district as early as 2023.
In a subsequent, fully coordinated operation, police arrested five additional suspects aged between 22 and 42 on suspicion of participating in a criminal organization, conspiracy to commit a felony, extortion, money laundering and related offenses. A court will rule Monday on a police request to extend their detention for eight days.
During searches of their homes and vehicles, officers seized cash, jewelry, mobile phones, bulletproof vests, imitation firearms, a collapsible baton and an unlicensed gun. Two vehicles were also confiscated for forensic examination. One 29-year-old suspect was re-arrested after investigators determined he did not have a permit to possess the firearm found in his residence.
Illegal security guards and prison re-arrest
Police also arrested three men aged 38, 44 and 50 who were allegedly working as security guards at one of the businessmen’s premises without the required licenses. Radio communication equipment was found in their possession, and a vehicle driven by one of them was seized.
In a separate development, a 23-year-old Cypriot already being held at Central Prisons as a remand inmate for an attempted murder case was re-arrested under a new court warrant linked to the broader investigation. Authorities searched his prison cell as part of efforts to map the full scope of the alleged criminal network.
Investigation ongoing
Defense lawyers for four of the five most recently arrested suspects objected to the police request for extended detention; one defense team did not. The court is expected to issue its ruling on Monday.
Police described the operation as a decisive blow against organized crime in Larnaca, signaling increased enforcement following what officials called a “highly provocative” incident so close to police facilities.
Investigations are continuing, and authorities have not ruled out further arrests.
