Cops arrest Alexoui again

Police believe Nicosia businessman Alexis “Alexoui” Mavromichalis is behind a busted drug deal, based on a statement by a suspect in connection with the Nicosia drive-by shooting.

(Click here for an update to the story)

Mavromichalis, who was arrested Saturday night just after midnight, was later remanded on Sunday by the Nicosia District Court for five days, in connection with a drug bust.

According to Cyprus News Agency, the 40-year-old businessman was arrested following the discovery of a large quantity of cannabis and cocaine at a Nicosia location.

Cops suspected Alexoui based on hearsay evidence, when another 27-year-old suspect said he heard Josef “Sifis” Josef discussing a drug deal on the phone.

The 27-year-old, who is already in custody on drug charges as well as suspected in the recent Nicosia drive-by shooting, said he heard Sifis discuss a deal brought from Greece, with 14 kilos of cannabis and three kilos of cocaine. The man on the other end of the phone, according to the 27-year-old, was Alexoui himself, a known friend of Sifis who only reported to him directly according to the witness.

Alexoui’s attorney raised objections during the remand hearing on Sunday, saying the witness was not asked directly whether or not the third person on the phone was Alexoui himself.

“Why don’t you ask the witness whether or not Alexoui was involved in the case?” asked the attorney, who also said eight days were far too many for a remand.

The judge dismissed the argument, saying there were legitimate suspicions over the involvement of Alexoui, citing the fact that the 27-year-old witness told cops he had a good impression of who might have been on the other end of the line talking to Sifis.

The court also found there were no ulterior motives in the Alexoui arrest and placed him in remanded custody for five days.

Alexoui, who had multiple attempts on his life, has been at odds with the police. The 40-year-old has been criticising cops openly on Facebook, complaining about being forced to take down his private security cameras, undergoing frequent random searches, and officials refusing to rein in corrupt cops.

Police went on high alert this year following a shooting incident when a cop became the target in what appeared to have been an unplanned recognizance mission in Limassol late at night.

Cops draw links between drug case and drive by shooting

Things got more intense last week during a possible attempt on Nicosia businessman Nikos Rodhotheou’s life, when two men on a white scooter fired warning shots at the back of his vehicle near the Hilton traffic lights.

The 57-year-old Rodhotheou, the younger brother of Andreas Rodhotheou who was gunned down in a secluded safe house in Limassol last April, was not injured in the incident.

The attempted murder investigation got traction when cops arrested three men in east Nicosia linked to a scooter that matched the description given by Rodhotheou.

Two of those suspects, both Greek Cypriots, are facing charges in both drug and drive-by cases. An arrest warrant for Sifis was issued on Sunday, with police wanting to question him also regarding both cases.