Two smartphones hidden in cells at Cyprus’s Central Prison were seized during a dawn raid on Tuesday, as authorities press ahead with efforts to eliminate a practice that has been used to direct crimes from behind bars.
Officers from the Police Headquarters Special Operations Unit entered the prison in the early hours after a tip-off that long-term inmates had smuggled in new-generation mobile phones. The operation was carried out in coordination with prison management, according to Phileleftheros sources.
The two devices, found concealed in cells housing long-term inmates, were confiscated and sent for forensic examination and data extraction.
Smuggling or possessing a mobile phone in prison is a criminal offence under legislation passed by parliament on 29 January 2026, punishable by up to two years in prison, a €6,000 fine, or both. Stiffer penalties apply when prison staff are involved.
Tuesday’s find follows a series of seizures in recent weeks, driven by a newly installed signal-detection system that identifies electronic devices operating inside the prison. Work is under way to extend its capability to block mobile network signals altogether.
The crackdown has sent black market prices soaring. Sources say smuggling a mobile phone into the prison and getting it to an inmate now costs anywhere between €5,000 and €25,000.