Greek Cypriot jailed five years in north Nicosia over 525 g of cannabis
A Turkish Cypriot criminal court in north Nicosia sentenced Greek Cypriot Constantinos Christoforou to five years for bringing 525 grams of cannabis indica from the south of the island to sell. Five other men had been arrested in the same case in December 2017.
🏳️ North Nicosia, northern Cyprus · Northern Cyprus
A Turkish Cypriot criminal court in north Nicosia sentenced Greek Cypriot
Constantinos Christoforou to five years in prison for carrying half a kilo of
Blue Dream cannabis from the south into north Nicosia.[1]
The Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen reported that the court found him guilty in
a case in which five other men had been arrested in December 2017 for illegal
drug possession.[1]Philenews, citing Yeni Duzen, said the other five men were
arrested in Kyrenia and that Christoforou was one of six people held in the
case.[2]
Police learned of the drug deal and put Christoforou, said to be the supplier,
under surveillance.[1]Officers moved in when he parked his car in a hospital
car park and seized525 grams of cannabis indica, which reports said he had
brought from the Republic of Cyprus in the south.[1]Witnesses at the trial
said he had brought the drugs from the government-controlled areas, the part of
the island run from Nicosia by the internationally recognised Republic of
Cyprus.[2]
The judge said this was not the first time he had transported illegal drugs into
the north, a self-declared state recognised by no other country except Turkey.[1]On the earlier occasion he had carried 28 grams of cannabis indica, and the
court said his aim was to supply and sell drugs.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Neither article gives the date of the sentencing hearing; 22 June 2018 is the publication date of both accounts and is used as the incident date.
The accounts differ on the weight: KNEWS reports 525 grams of cannabis indica, while Philenews, citing the same Yeni Duzen report, says 500 grams were found in his car; the report uses the specific 525-gram figure.
The 28 grams carried on the earlier trip, and the charges and outcomes for the five other men, are not reported.
The reports do not name the hospital whose car park was used or say what became of the 525-gram consignment beyond the seizure.
No value, fine or count of plants was published.
Whether Christoforou or the other men appealed is not reported.
Police in northern Cyprus arrested nine people in narcotics operations during island-wide checks on 7 and 8 November 2026, seizing a total of 177.5 grams of cannabis in Lefkoşa, Gazimağusa and İskele. The Lefkoşa operation at the Metehan crossing and Ercan Airport also produced 600 grams of synthetic cannabinoid, which is outside this tracker's cannabis scope.
Police in Famagusta arrested a 39-year-old man during a home search on 29 October 2026 after finding about 2 grams each of suspected cannabis and methamphetamine. The Police Press Office said the investigation was continuing.
An official account of an addiction symposium reported 218 participants in supervised-release programmes. The figure covered drug cases generally and described the work of the Prime Ministry’s drug commission.
Arda Çelik received eighteen months in prison after growing three cannabis plants from seeds brought from Amsterdam and importing 3 g from the south of the island. The Nicosia court noted that cultivation carried a fifteen-year statutory maximum and treated the combined offences as serious.
