The Larnaca Criminal Court sentenced a 27-year-old Greek national to 13 years in prison on Monday morning after he admitted to smuggling more than 23 kg of cannabis into Cyprus.
The defendant was found guilty of possession and transport of controlled drugs with intent to supply. He was arrested at Larnaca Airport on 23 September 2025, shortly after arriving on a 5:00 pm flight from Athens. According to court records, an officer from the drug unit (YKAN) grew suspicious of the man’s nervous behaviour as he waited in the baggage reclaim area and repeatedly looked toward the customs checkpoint.
Customs officers intercepted the man as he attempted to exit through the green channel. An X-ray of his suitcase revealed suspicious organic material, and when asked to open the combination-locked bag, the defendant claimed he did not know the code. Using specialised tools, officers opened the luggage to find two large, vacuum-sealed nylon bags containing 44 individual packages of dry cannabis. The total weight of the haul was recorded as 23 kg and 664 grams.
During police questioning, the 27-year-old stated he was not a drug user but had turned to smuggling to settle significant gambling debts in Athens. He claimed he had borrowed money from an individual who later introduced him to a contact known by the alias “Burger.” The defendant alleged that a masked man delivered the suitcase to him in Athens and that he was promised €10,000 to complete the delivery in Cyprus, though he claimed not to know the identity of the final recipient.
In handing down the 13-year sentence, the Court noted the increasing frequency of such smuggling attempts. The judges emphasised the necessity of deterrent sentences to combat the rising tide of large-scale drug importation through the Republic’s ports of entry.