Greek national arrested in the north

A Greek national, who was arrested last week by Turkish Cypriot police on drug related charges, appeared in court Tuesday in north Nicosia.

Ioannis Tsaitsiou, aged 35, was arrested last week within the walled city in north Nicosia.

Tsaitsiou, who remains in custody since his arrest, was found with 125 grams of Blue Dream cannabis in his possession.

A judge dismissed the suspect’s bail request, saying Tsaitsiou was a visitor in the north and could not be allowed to be released citing the possibility he might cross back into the south and never appear for his trial. 

The suspect is reportedly being transferred to a central prison where he could remain up to two months while his case goes through the legal process.

According to CNA News Agency, neither Cyprus police nor the Greek Embassy had any details regarding the case.

The arrest reportedly took place during a special crackdown operation against drug trafficking.

In June, another Greek Cypriot man was sentenced to five years by a Turkish Cypriot court for carrying half a kilo of Blue Dream cannabis from the south into north Nicosia.

Turkish Cypriot anti-drug police have been making inroads into combating the illicit trade, especially in Nicosia, following a series of arrests and convictions with the use surveillance methods.

Police in the south have also been mounting a campaign to combat illegal drug trafficking in the Republic of Cyprus, but authorities on both sides do not cooperate directly except on rare cases through a special bicommunal task force committee.