Police to investigate North Cyprus-Greece drugs link
A 38-YEAR-old woman from Greece who was caught with 11 kilos of cannabis while trying to enter the TRNC via Ercan airport on May 5 has appeared before court.
Aikaterini Katsafadou was brought before Lefkoşa District Court on Monday. Police officer Cemal Ramiz, who works in the Narcotics and Smuggling Prevention Department, was called as a witness.
He told the court that during investigations into the incident, it was learned that on May 4 Ms Katsafadou was introduced to a woman by a person named “Makis”, who she knew was “in the drug business in Greece”.
Officer Ramiz noted that the suspect received flight tickets to travel to the TRNC, hotel documents for where she would be staying and 450 euros to “meet her needs” during the trip.
The police officer explained that on the same date, it was determined that “Makis” directed Ms Katsafadou to meet the unnamed woman she obtained the tickets and hotel documents from at an airport in Greece and obtain the drugs from her to take to North Cyprus.
Officer Ramiz then told the court that the suspect had said that “Makis” had arranged for her to deliver the drugs in question to an “unknown person” after she had checked into her hotel in the TRNC, which was also booked by “Makis”, and that Ms Katsafadou would receive 1,000 euros in exchange.
He stated that the suspect “voluntarily confessed to her crimes through an interpreter” and emphasised that a “large-scale investigation into the drugs with a market value of six million TL” continues.
He requested that the suspect be remanded in custody for another eight days so that further investigations can be carried out, a request granted by Judge Mine Ozankaya.