Lebanese arrested for drug possession in danger

Yiousef Mehmet Ali Siqaf, a 45-year old Lebanese national, is fighting for his life at Larnaca General Hospital after a pellet, allegedly containing cocaine, burst in his stomach according to a report from the Cyprus news agency (CNA).

Police at Larnaca airport arrested Siqaf on June 10 on suspicion of carrying drugs. He was on his way to Beirut from Curacao in the Dutch Antilles and had flown into Larnaca from Amsterdam allegedly carrying 60 containers in his stomach totalling 600 grams of cocaine. He initially secreted 12 pellets and later on another six.

According to the CNA report, a hospital official said the 45-year old was in danger because a pellet had burst and the drug had flooded his body. He explained that each pellet contained approximately 10 grams of cocaine, which is about eight times the lethal intravenous dose of 1.2 grams.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.