Suspects go to criminal trial in teen’s overdose death

The three suspects in custody in the death of 18-year-old Ioannis Asikkis, who died from a drug overdose, will face a criminal trial, while a cafeteria owner is wanted by police in connection with the case.

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Limassol police have three Syrian nationals in custody, aged 28, 39, and 25, who will go straight to trial on manslaughter charges. The men, who are denying the charges, were arrested earlier this month on initial drug dealing charges. 

Another person of interest, 38-year-old cafeteria owner Charalambos Sakkos, is also wanted by police in connection with the case. He is currently believed to be abroad.

Police investigators are trying to build a case of manslaughter against the suspects following the death of Ioannis, who reportedly was supplied with drugs by one of the suspects and later collapsed from an overdose.

Ioannis was taken to the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital and then transferred to Nicosia General due to his critical condition. He was in a coma for several days until he took his last breath on June 14, one day shy of his 18th birthday.

Drug arrests

Cops conducted a raid in a Limassol cafeteria on the evening of June 11, where they spotted the 28-year-old suspect who matched the description given to police. The two others were also arrested and then all were re-arrested on new charges following Ioannis’s death.

Police said the 28-year-old had in his possession 8.5 grams of cannabis, 9 grams of mdma capsules also known as “Molly”, 19.5 grams of cannabis resin known as hashish, according to police, who also confiscated a precision digital scale.