Five defendants charged over the seizure of more than 230kg of drugs in Nicosia in February pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges before the Nicosia criminal court on 6 November 2026.[1][2] The trial was adjourned to 17 December, amid the prospect that four more suspects will be added to the indictment.[1][2] All five have been held in custody at the central prisons since their arrest and remain there.[1]
The adjournment followed a request from defence lawyer Dimitris Tsolakidis, who told the court the case may be connected to the arrests made on 5 November under Operation Plegma, when four people were remanded in custody.[1] He argued that as the allegations relate to the same events, the four could be charged and joined to the existing indictment, which would bring the number of defendants to nine.[1] The lawyer for the fourth defendant alone asked that his client be required to respond to the charges, and he then entered a denial.[1]
The case dates from 19 February 2026, when officers stopped a vehicle in Nicosia and found 11,480 firecrackers together with cannabis and cocaine.[1] Searches connected to the driver then uncovered 167kg of cannabis, 62kg of cocaine and 4.5kg of cannabis resin, and police also seized firearms, explosive devices and cash.[1] Christos Andreou, head of the organised crime directorate, said assets worth €750,000 have been frozen, comprising property valued at about €400,000 and €350,000 in cash and bank accounts.[1][2] Police said on 6 November that the network behind the operation had been largely dismantled, and Andreou said that could not be confirmed until inquiries were complete.[1]
The 5 November operation involved 27 searches across the island and the arrest of 26 people, with officers seizing more than €25,000 in cash, 37 mobile phones, two firearms and ammunition.[1] Twenty-two of those arrested were released after questioning, while four were remanded for five days, and police believe all 26 are associates of the original five.[1]
The prosecution read out the 30 charges one by one, and the defendants pleaded not guilty to each.[3] Most of the 30 counts on the charge sheet concern all of the defendants.[3] The Assize Court in Nicosia set the case for hearing on 17 December.[3] Cyprus Inform reported the same denials of all 30 charges, the same adjournment and the same February quantities.[4]
Police said the drugs were believed to be intended for the Cypriot market.[2] Investigations continue, and further arrests have not been ruled out because statements from the suspects and data from the seized phones may point to more people.[1] Andreou said the directorate, launched in early October, is handling four other major cases, among them one involving almost half a ton of ketamine bound for the Israeli market.[1]
