Teenagers arrested for selling drugs

TWO 17-year-olds were arrested for repeatedly selling drugs to a 16-year-old and threatening to hurt him and his family unless he paid them €1,800, Paphos police said on Friday.

According to the police, the 16-year-old reported the incident on Thursday night.

The boy had told his older sister about his ordeal, and the two went to the Paphos CID with their father, reporting the threats and naming the two 17-year-olds.

He told police they had supplied him with drugs in the past, including 28 grams of cannabis last October, the price for which – €400 – he pledged to pay for later.

A similar incident took place about two weeks ago, the boy said.

In the meantime, the amount he owed his two suppliers added up to €1,800.

On Friday, police arrested the 16-year-old and a 20-year-old man, who allegedly drove him to the pick-up spot the last time he bought drugs.

Both were remanded for two days.

The two 17-year-olds were arrested on Friday and will face a remand hearing on Saturday.

According to drug squad Ykan spokesman Stelios Sergides, irrespective of the charges to be filed based on the findings of investigations, “the police naturally aims to help the young man, assess the stage of use he is at, and, if required, refer him to a rehabilitation programme”.

“The aim is not to stigmatise the 16-year-old,” he said.

“Along the way, we will need to consult with his family on how to address the situation.”

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.