Hefty sentence for dealer

LIMASSOL’S criminal court yesterday handed down a 16-year prison sentence to a 43-year-old man found guilty of drug possession with intent to supply and sell.

Panayiotis Ioannou was arrested on December 18 last year during a drug squad raid of a Zakaki estate when he was found in possession of a nylon bag containing 1.5 kilos of cannabis. A search of the property located a further 20 kilos of cannabis in a car trunk.

During sentencing the judge expressed concern for the increased frequency of drugs cases and hoped the harsh sentence would dissuade others from taking the same route.

According to news reports this is the first time such a tough drugs sentence has been handed out.

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.