Limassol Police Chase Drug Dealer

[Brian Ellis]

Limassol Police Chase Drug Dealer

A 23-year-old man was arrested yesterday after police found drugs and a weighing scale in his car.

He has been remanded for four days and faces charges of drug dealing, possession of narcotics, dangerous driving and grievous bodily harm.

The man was driving in Limassol yesterday (January 18th) when he was flagged down in a random check by traffic police. Instead of stopping, he picked up speed and rammed into a police constable, injuring him and crashing into a squad car. Two officers were injured in the crash and taken to hospital, where they were treated and released.

Upon searching the suspect's car, investigators found cannabis and a weighing scale.

Drug dealers face years in prison under Cyprus laws; yesterday a 28-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years for possession and dealing.

Reported January 19, 2007

Ah well, another one out of the way for a l-o-o-o-ng time, probably 15 years with that lot thrown at him. If the idiot had stopped, he would have been given a breath test and allowed to go on his way, assuming the marijuana was not visible and he wasn't over the limit (BTW, high here at 0.09%).

[Brian Ellis]

14 years for cannabis

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=30300

Dealer jailed for 14 year

A DRUG dealer was jailed in Larnaca yesterday for 14 years.
“The victims of drugs are now many of our citizens, who are led to tragic dependency and even to death,” the Court heard before the sentence was announced. “Those who traffic and provide drugs are effectively selling death or causing the total destruction of users’ health and they create anxiety and despair to those around them.”
Stavros Panayiotou, 29, and another defendant had admitted to four charges of conspiring to import 6,453 grams of cannabis and provide them to others. The drugs were found in Panayiotou’s possession last November 22 as he arrived at Larnaca Airport from Holland.

He admitted to the crime, telling investigators “he’d made a mistake”.
The 29-year-old ex-waiter had reportedly been acting in a suspicious manner while awaiting his suitcase at the luggage area, prompting a Drug Squad officer to lead him to the customs area for a check.

The officers found five packages in his suitcase, wrapped in gift paper. In the packages, they discovered 14 bags containing the cannabis.

[Umfriend]

14 years for 6.5K of cannabis. Wonder what the importers of tons of tobacco products get. Speaking about tragic dependency and even to death.....

[ZokesPro]

You'd think that the drug sniffing dogs would have pinpointed him the minute he stepped into the airport. The smell is so damned strong that it's almost impossible to conceal.

[Brian Ellis]

Yup, they are tough here on all kinds of "recreational" drugs. One half-smoked joint = 3-6 months. One speed tablet = 1 year, 10 speed tablets = 12 years. 1 g heroin or cocaine = life. Doesn't necessarily stop it altogether, but most convictions are geared to either tourists bringing them in or to locals supplying tourists. However, compared to western European countries, this is relatively drug-free.

[ZokesPro]

Why anyone would try and smuggle drugs through an airport nowadays is beyond me.

[Byock]

These dealers are not the smartest people.

[Dr Mordrid]

Here in the US if you have enough to qualify as a "dealer" (amount defined on a drug-by-drug basis) could well get you life, as in natural life; they carry you out in a box.

[Mehen]

Yup, they are tough here on all kinds of "recreational" drugs. One half-smoked joint = 3-6 months. One speed tablet = 1 year, 10 speed tablets = 12 years. 1 g heroin or cocaine = life. Doesn't necessarily stop it altogether, but most convictions are geared to either tourists bringing them in or to locals supplying tourists. However, compared to western European countries, this is relatively drug-free.

You wouldn't get much more than a slap on the wrist for any of that here. For the joint I'm not sure if you would get a slap on the wrist at all, depends where you are doing it, and what you are doing at the time.

[az]

I also think 3-6 months for half a joint is really over the top. For the record, I don't do illegal drugs (tried joints a few times, didn't like them; don't want to try harder stuff), but I also think cannabis - used "responsibly" (you know, like drinking "responsibly") - is really not that bad of a drug. Certainly not worse than alcohol. At my uni, there are more people smoking joints between classes than drinking, many don't even hide it. I would find it much more disturbing to have drunk people sitting in every class.

[lowlifecat]

You wouldn't get much more than a slap on the wrist for any of that here. For the joint I'm not sure if you would get a slap on the wrist at all, depends where you are doing it, and what you are doing at the time.

anything less than half a oz of MJ and the police won't even bother. the worst that can happen is that you get your stash confiscated.

[Brian Ellis]

Many Asian countries have a no-tolerance policy on even minute quantities of drugs, even capital punishment. From Wikipedia, Singapore:

Under the Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act,[1] any person found in the possession of more than the following quantities of drugs receives a mandatory death sentence:
* Opium: 1,200 g, containing more than 30 g of morphine
* Any controlled drug (except opium): containing more than 30 g of morphine
* Diamorphine (Heroin): 15 g
* Cocaine: 30 g
* Cannabis: 500 g
* Cannabis mixture: 1,000 g
* Hashish: 200 g
* Methamphetamine: 250 g
Also receiving death sentences is any person caught manufacturing
* Morphine, or any salt of morphine, ester of morphine or salt of ester of morphine
* Diamorphine (Heroin) or any salt of diamorphine
* Cocaine or any salt of cocaine
* Heroin

See also this CNN report

Note that I'm not promoting capital punishment for drugs offences, but I am in favour of very long prison sentences, even for simple possession of small quantities.

Incidentally, there is a report of an arrest of guy yesterday with 3½ kg of cannabis, so he has the doubtful pleasure of a 12-15 year holiday awaiting him.

[Umfriend]

Note that I'm not promoting capital punishment for drugs offences, but I am in favour of very long prison sentences, even for simple possession of small quantities.

I think that is unethical, LOL! Why would you deny any mature individual to posses and use whatever they want?

[ZokesPro]

@Brian: Did you know that in some countries, the punishement for drug possession is far worse than the punishement for pedophiles? Either way, I 100% agree with Umfriend.

[Brian Ellis]

And where would that mature individual get his stuff? From a dealer, of course. And to whom would the dealer to sell? Only to mature individuals, of course, at Havenaart (sp?) prices, to boot? Personally, I have no issue if a mature individual wishes to compromise his mental stability with a dose or two of meth, but he will be on a downward spiral towards destitution. However, I consider that it is unethical if that previously "mature" individual has to rely on my social security costs to remain alive. Then there is the question that said dealer would incite schoolkids and other who are not mature individuals to get hooked, and that is ethical, isn't it?

In fact, I would go so far as to say that any person using a drug is not mature, at the time. Therefore your statement becomes a paradox.

Drugs are therefore unethical because they prey on the weak, not on the mature. I therefore prone hefty prison sentences, if only to keep the dealers off the road, either because they are locked away or because their clients are. Not to mention all the other crime committed to allow addicts to keep their habit going.

So, frankly, to hell with your argument of ethics. Drugs are not ethical, period, full stop.