Student caught with cocaine sentenced to 13 years in prison in north Cyprus

A foreign national has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court in Lefkosa after he was found guilty of drug crimes.

The judgement against the defendant was delivered on Tuesday, November, 8, 2022.

What Happened?

The defendant, and one other person were arrested on March, 22, 2022 in Minareliköy in an operation by the Narcotics and Smuggling Prevention Directorate tagged “White Wolf”.

The suspects who had smuggled drugs into the TRNC from south Cyprus were found parked in a military zone when they were caught. 

Police said it approached the vehicle for check when the suspect ran away with a backpack. The driver of the vehicle who happen to be working a courier was caught and arrested.  

Police said the suspect was later identified and arrested within the same area on Mach, 23 following series of investigation. He was taken back to the scene to show them where he hid the bag under a tree. Police said it found substance believed to be a cocaine type drug, weighing approximately 1 kilogram, with a market value of 3 million TL in the bag.

The suspect confessed that, he bought the substance in question from the Greek Cypriot side for 1000 Euros on the instruction of two wanted persons. Police said the driver of the car had made an agreement with the suspect transport him for 300 Euros.

They were charged to court for violating a forbidden zone, importation of drug substance for 1000 Euros, receiving and possession of illegal drugs (cocaine).

They were sent to prison for two months before trial.

The judgement;

Court president, who read the verdict, said the decision to sentence him was taken unanimously. He mentioned the seriousness and prevalence of the crime committed by the accused.

“The legislator foresees a prison sentence of up to 18 years for the most severe type of case in which the accused is convicted. The main indicator of the gravity of a crime is easily understood from the duration of the prison sentence stipulated by the legislator for that crime. The 18-year prison sentence in question is one of the heaviest penalties in terms of legislation on drugs,” he said.

He underlined that the drugs that the accused imported and kept in his possession were a Class A type of cocaine and were among the dangerous drugs.

“The fact that stands out in terms of the case before us is that the accused imported drugs as a courier. It is seen that the fight against drugs is carried out on a global basis and for this purpose, courts all over the world make a distinction regarding drug crimes, both in terms of the type of drug and the way the crime is committed. He underlined that the heaviest penalty in drug crimes is given to the suspects who import drugs.

"It is emphasized that there is a distinction between drug use and drug trafficking or attempting to trade, and that it is necessary to distinguish between those who commit crimes with the aim of poisoning other people and those who import and save drugs for personal use."

“The role of the accused before us is that of a courier. As a requirement of this role, the accused is the person who imports the drug subject to the lawsuit himself. Its role should be regarded as primary in terms of import crime. When we evaluate the issue in terms of the crime of saving, we see that the role of the accused is one degree less than those who will earn money from the sale of drugs, and we consider this issue in favor of it.  

The prevalence of drug-related crimes in our country can be seen in the annual reports published by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court. When we consider the reports in question as judicial reports, we see that drug crimes have been the type of crime that has occupied the agenda of the Heavy Penal Courts the most in the last 10 years. 

Accordingly, it is necessary to prioritize the public interest in common and grave crimes and to give effective and deterrent punishments to those who commit this crime. When we look at the amount of narcotic substances in question, we find that the cocaine-type narcotic substance in our presence is 904 grams and 630 milligrams, and this amount is quite high in the case of cocaine-type drugs. It is also obvious that this drug can poison many people if it spreads to our country. We will evaluate this situation against the accused.” 

In the decision, he stated that the accused had been wandering around our country like a stray ghost for almost 7 years, from 2015 to the date of his arrest, without any registration or permission.

“The adventure of the accused, which he started as a university student in our country, ended in prison after he committed a crime. Considering the fact that the accused is a person who has not renewed his university registration since 2015, he has not been identified, it is understood that the state authority is a news about basic issues such as how the accused lives in our country, how he earns money, where he stays, and it is only detected by the police after he committed this crime. As a matter of fact, the state's knowledge of those within its borders is the most basic indicator of its dominance and authority. When we look at the subject from this point of view, it is no surprise that people who are illegal and undetected in our country are involved in crime. Therefore, it has become obvious that more effective inspections are obligatory in the prevention of such crimes. In the fight against drugs, which are carried out almost as if they are fighting the enemy, at our borders and within the country, it is essential to eliminate all factors that can be determined beforehand; Therefore, it is necessary to identify people who are illegal in the country, such as the accused as soon as they become fugitives, and the crime should be prevented. At this point, universities have a great responsibility to identify the “so-called” students who do not renew their registration as much as the state units have to do or register just to be in the country and share this with the authorized institutions of the state.”

Mentioning all the issues in favor and against the accused, Aksun announced that they unanimously sentenced him to 13 years in prison.