Two men have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms after attempting to smuggle drugs from the Republic into the north via the Ledras Street crossing point.
Oguzhan Yildiz received a five-year prison sentence, while Sahin Cepik will spend six years behind bars, with his lengthier sentence coming due to previous drug related offences.
The pair were arrested back in June after Turkish Cypriot police received a tip off that one of the pair would attempt to cross at Ledras Street before taking the drugs to Caglayan Park, just outside Nicosia’s walled city..
In court, prosecutor Ibrahim Ruso explained that a total of 574 grams of cannabis and 125 grams of cocaine were transported northwards, sent by a wanted Turkish Cypriot living in the Republic.
He added that they were “constantly in communication” with the Turkish Cypriot in the Republic via WhatsApp.
Judge Tutku Candas noted that Cepik had previously received a four-month prison sentence for drug offences and said he “did not reform despite his sentence”. She added that there was also another pending drugs case which had been filed against him.
The panel of three judges unanimously agreed on the sentences.