A 26-year-old of Asian origin has lost an appeal against his detention in an opiates case pending his trial, the court of appeal announced on Thursday.

In its decision on Tuesday, the court said the man had been arrested and placed in custody. His indictment includes several charges, three of which were for the possession and trafficking of poppy pods, used to produce opium.

The court of first instance had ordered the suspect remain in custody until November, due to risk of flight.

The appellant argued that there was not enough evidence to justify his detention, a position the court of appeal dismissed.

The police had testified that they had found a package containing four plastic bags with dried poppy pods, and that a search of the man’s residence had produced quantities of a poppy mixture, which the suspect admitted were opiates. He had, however, claimed that had he known they were illegal, he would not have imported them.

The court of appeal said the court of first instance was right in assuming that there was enough evidence to lead to a possible conviction.

It also said the personal circumstances of the suspect, who is of Asian origin and has been in Cyprus for about three years, could not outweigh public interest.

The court of appeal dismissed the man’s appeal and ratified the decision of the court of first instance for his detention until his trial begins before the criminal court.

The 26-year-old was arrested in the framework of island-wide operations to crack down on drug trafficking, during which 21 individuals were arrested and approximately 60kg of opiates seized in quantities ranging from 2kg to 30kg.