The appeals court on Tuesday increased the prison sentence of a man convicted of serious drug offences, from nine to 12 years.

The appeal followed a request by the attorney general’s office, represented by lawyer Irene Savva, which argued that the original sentence by the Paphos criminal court was too lenient. The appeals court agreed.

It found that the first-instance court had not fully considered the need for strict and deterrent sentences in drug cases.

In reaching its decision, the court examined previous rulings, the seriousness of the offences, the circumstances in which they were committed, and the overall conduct of the convicted man.

As a result, the two sentences of nine years each were replaced with concurrent 12-year sentences.

The Paphos criminal court had previously found the man guilty after he admitted the offences of three counts related to the import, possession and possession with intent to supply a class B controlled drug.

The case involved 8 kilograms and 154.9 grams of cannabis, in breach of the drugs and psychotropic substances law.

The appeals court said while personal circumstances of offenders remain relevant, their importance is limited in serious drug cases.

The man’s clean criminal record was accepted as a mitigating factor, but no other significant reductions were found.