A 35-year-old man was remanded in custody for eight days on Monday after 10kg of opiate drugs were found at his home in Nicosia.

The detention order was issued by the Nicosia district court following the man’s arrest after a police search of the property.

Officers from the drug squad found 54 airtight packages containing dried poppy pods, with a total gross weight of 10kg.

They also seized two nylon bags containing dried poppy pods weighing 100g and 15g of beige powder believed to be linked to the investigation.

Further checks revealed that the suspect had been residing illegally in the Republic since April 2022.

This is the third opiates arrest in recent days following incidents on Friday when opium poppies were seized at Larnaca airport and on Saturday when 2kg were found in a Limassol home. Police investigations are continuing.