TRNC police night raids: 11,686 drivers checked, 2,067 issued traffic reports

Overnight from 28 to 29 August, TRNC police carried out simultaneous raids in Lefkoşa, Famagusta, Kyrenia, Güzelyurt and İskele. From 20:00 to 04:00, officers checked 11,686 drivers; 2,067 of them were issued traffic reports for violations, while 48 vehicles were taken off the road.

The raids involved the Department for Combating Drugs and Smuggling and the Special Operations Department. Police checked entertainment venues, casinos, betting offices, coffee shops, boarding houses, workers’ hostels and places where large numbers of people gather.

The highest number of drivers were checked in Lefkoşa — 5,353; 1,070 people were issued reports, three vehicles were taken off the road and one driver was detained. In Kyrenia, 354 reports were issued among 3,765 drivers checked, while 38 vehicles were taken off the road. In İskele, police checked 1,225 drivers and issued 216 reports; in Famagusta, the figures were 723 and 336, and in Güzelyurt, 620 and 91.

Overnight, 38 people without residence permits were detained: 19 in Lefkoşa, 14 in Famagusta, three in Kyrenia, and one each in Güzelyurt and İskele. Administrative fines were also issued to 123 visitors who were banned from entering casinos — 59 of them in Kyrenia, 29 in Lefkoşa, 19 in Famagusta and 16 in İskele.

Two people were detained under drug-related articles — one in Lefkoşa and one in İskele. In Kyrenia, proceedings were initiated against the owner of a venue who violated closing-time rules and played music without permission, while in İskele, proceedings were initiated against the owner of an establishment selling alcohol without a valid licence.