Police arrest drugs ‘brain’

AYIA Napa police have arrested a man believed to be the brains behind a case involving the attempted sale of drugs.

Panayiotis Georgiou Demetriou, alias Kourkounas, is thought to be the accomplice of Charalambos Andrea Martis, alias, Pimbas, who was arrested on Wednesday night for conspiring in the drug sale and threatening a police officer with a knife.

The arrests followed an undercover operation by Ayia Napa police following a tip-off that someone intended to sell 4kg of unspecified narcotics.

A police officer dressed as an Arab had met with the suspect, agreeing to pay £20,000 for the drugs.

Pimbas told a Larnaca court on Thursday that Demetriou had sent him to collect the money. He also said Demetriou had given him the knife with which he later threatened the police officer.

Demetriou told the same court yesterday that he had in fact met with an Arab by the name of Raoush at the hotel, but denied that he had any drugs in his possession. He claims he told the “Arab” that he did not know anything about the narcotics and then walked out of the hotel room.

Demetriou has been remanded in custody for four days.

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