POLICE have arrested a 37-year-old Belgian man living in Larnaca after they found 768 ecstasy pills in his possession.
At 9.45pm on Tuesday, the drug squad pulled over a car driven by the Belgian man and found he was holding a plastic bag containing 289 ecstasy pills.
Searching his home, police then found another 479 ecstasy tablets and £1,330 in cash.
When questioned, the foreigner named his alleged supplier, a 38-year-old German woman, also a resident of Larnaca. However, a search of the woman’s home yielded no evidence connecting her to the man or the ecstasy pills.
The two foreigners were arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning with a court warrant and are being held by the police for questioning.
Larnaca Drug squad is investigating the case.
Meanwhile in an effort to clamp down on drug use in Cyprus, Health Minister Dina Akkelidou said yesterday that the anti-drugs council was planning a new strategy that would involve the reduction of demand and supply for drugs and introducing more rehabilitation programmes.
Akkelidou added this was the first time the government had drawn up a National Strategy to deal with the problem of drugs. She stressed that drug dependency was a public health issue that needed national co-operation and services for the prevention and treatment of drug use.
Government and non-government organisations must work together to enforce action through professionals with scientific knowledge, experience and also by making political decisions, Akkelidou said.
The Strategy has been in the works since October 2003 and will be monitored by advisors from the EU and meet with EU directives. “The National Strategy will be brought before the National Drugs Council and will then be given to the Parliament for approval,” said Akkelidou.
The National Strategy also sees the setting up of an information centre on drugs, where a rehabilitation clinic will also be available to drug addicts.
The Health Ministry has created two new rehabilitation centers Anosi’ and ‘Pyxida’. Anosi in Limassol deals with physical detoxification for adults, and Pyxida in Pano Deftera offers psychological support to recovering drug addicts.
Akkelidou said the Anosi rehab clinic operates in 12-15 areas, including the hospital where detoxification lasts between 15 and 22 days. Pyxida has 12 clinics and their programmes last from 12-24 months. She added that during this year, programmes would be made available for minors who are drug users and will have treatment programmes lasting up to two years.
These are on top of existing drug rehabilitation programmes – ‘Themea’ at the Nicosia General Hospital and ‘Perseas’, which works as an outpatient clinic for drug users who are not yet addicted. Perseas operates as more of a prevention information centre that offers advice and support.
The Health Minister said the battle against drugs was a painful reality in Cyprus today, was a threat to every family, and stressed that the government’s priority was a national strategy against drug addiction.
