A 34-year-old man was remanded for eight days by the Larnaca district court on Wednesday, after allegedly attempting to import 18kg of cannabis discovered in a courier parcel at Larnaca airport.

“In the presence of a courier company representative, 30 airtight nylon packets containing dry green plant material, with a total gross weight of 18kg, were found,” the customs department said.

According to the department, the drugs were discovered during an inspection of a parcel that had been declared as containing men’s trousers.

An officer initiated the inspection after reviewing accompanying documents, which showed the parcel had originated in the United States and was shipped to Cyprus via Greece.

The 34-year-old intended recipient of the parcel was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, illegal importation and possession of drugs with intent to supply, as well as forgery and impersonation.

The drugs were confiscated by the customs department, and the drug squad (Ykan) has been brought in to carry out further investigations.