Newsroom
A 34-year-old man was arrested Monday after allegedly using a false identity to collect a parcel containing 18 kilograms of cannabis at Larnaca Airport, authorities said.
The parcel, which arrived from a foreign country, was flagged during a customs inspection at a temporary storage facility at the airport. Customs officers, working with the Drug Law Enforcement Unit (DLEU), discovered 30 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis inside, police said.
Later that day, the suspect appeared at the facility and attempted to collect the package using falsified identification, according to police. He was arrested on the spot in a coordinated operation by the DLEU.
A court-authorized search of an apartment in Larnaca followed, where officers found various documents, items of interest to the investigation, and a cardboard box containing an additional 20 grams of cannabis.
The man is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, illegal import and possession of narcotics with intent to supply, forgery, and impersonation. He is expected to appear before the Larnaca District Court on Tuesday for a remand hearing.
Police say that traffickers are increasingly using postal systems and false identities in attempts to smuggle drugs into the country. The investigation is ongoing.
