Three passengers detained at Ercan Airport on suspicion of drug possession

Three passengers — K.D. (f., 29), Y.K. (m., 41), and Y.A. (m., 38) — were detained at Ercan Airport in Northern Cyprus after traces of narcotics were discovered and appeared before a court in Nicosia yesterday. The judge extended their custody for two days.

According to police, Y.A. was flagged during an X-ray scan on April 14 at around 14:00, while Y.K. and B.D. were flagged at around 15:40 the same day. During a personal search, approximately one gram of a substance believed to be cocaine was seized from Y.A. In a shared bag used by Y.K. and B.D., about 0.5 grams of a substance suspected to be cannabis was found; a hand-rolled cigarette with suspicious contents was found in B.D.'s handbag.

Police report that the arrests were made based on on-site discovery, and an investigation has been launched. All seized samples have been sent to a laboratory for analysis. The court granted the police request for additional time for the investigation; the inquiry is ongoing.