74 g of bonzai and 134,400 TL seized in Lefkoşa: suspect remanded for three days

During a search of a local resident’s home in Lefkoşa, police seized around 74 g of a substance suspected to be the synthetic drug “bonzai” and 134,400 TL in cash. The court remanded the suspect in custody for three days.

The search took place on 10 September at around 23:30 in the Köşklüçiftlik neighbourhood: police acted on a warrant issued by the Lefkoşa District Court following a report that drugs were being kept in the house.

On the kitchen table, officers found a hand-rolled cigarette containing a substance resembling bonzai and a package weighing approximately 6 g; a further 68 g or so was found in a black bag on a bedside table. Precision scales ready for use were found in a kitchen cupboard.

The money was kept in two places: 85,000 TL in the refrigerator and 49,400 TL under a mattress in the living room. The entire amount was seized as evidence, as police believe it was proceeds from drug sales.

The suspect was detained at the scene, and a blood sample was taken from him with his consent on 11 September. The seized substances will be sent for analysis, while the Medicines and Pharmacy Department will be asked whether the detainee has the right to take such medication.

Police officer Derviş Sadeli told the court that the investigation had only just begun: numerous statements still needed to be taken, and it was necessary to establish where and how the suspect had obtained the substance, while the amount seized required extensive investigation. Judge Zehra Yalkut Bilgeç agreed with the police’s argument that the detainee could influence testimony if released and remanded him in custody for three days.