In Cyprus, a Syrian drug dealer escaped from prison

An inmate escaped from the central prison in Cyprus. The Syrian suspect in drug trafficking managed to escape during transportation to the prison after a court hearing.

According to local media reports, the escaped prisoner, a suspect in a case involving drugs of Syrian origin, fled on Friday around 13:00, shortly after a hearing in the Larnaca court regarding 1.5 kilograms of narcotics.

Preliminary information suggests that after a police van transported several defendants to the central prison following the court hearing, the detainees approached the electronic iron gates leading to the checkpoint. At that moment, one of the suspects distracted the prison staff accompanying the defendants and fled, exiting through the main gates of the penitentiary institution.

It is also reported that at the moment of escape, it is unknown whether the suspect was handcuffed, as required by the relevant protocol for transferring prisoners to court.