Brother remanded over drug death

THE YOUNGER brother of Petros Tryfonos, the man police suspect was responsible for the drug death of Georgos Charalambous, was yesterday remanded in custody for seven days in connection with the case.

The remand was announced to 27-year-old Marios Tryfonos at his hospital bed after a group of Charalambous’ friends and relatives attacked him upon his arrest outside his house on Tuesday afternoon.

Charalambous’ body was unearthed from a landfill site on Tuesday after Petros Tryfonos, the man believed by police to have given the fatal dose to Charalambous, confessed to police that he had buried the body with his brother’s help after the victim had stopped breathing.

On Tuesday, Petros Tryfonos remanded for eight days by a Limassol Court.
State Coroner Sofoclis Sofocleous yesterday conducted the autopsy on Chralambous’ body but could not comment until the toxicology analyses had been finalised. Sofocleous told state television yesterday that the body was in advanced decomposition and that DNA samples would be needed from relatives to establish a verified identification of the body.

Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said yesterday that all those involved in drug trafficking at some point end up behind bars. Theodorou added that Petros Tryfonos had been known to the authorities for some time and that police had attempted to arrest him in the past but he had got away.

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