TikTok posts lead to seven arrests over opium poppy on Cyprus

Advertising of dried opium poppy pods on TikTok prompted a large-scale operation by Cyprus' Drugs Law Enforcement Unit (ΥΚΑΝ): since June 19, seven people have been detained in Nicosia and Limassol and 31.5 kg of narcotic substances have been seized. According to ΥΚΝ chief Christos Andreou, posts advertising the products were discovered on social media, after which law enforcement officers, with the participation of courier company staff, launched an operation to stop the sales. Over four days, in four separate cases, 31.5 kg of dried poppy pods and other opioid substances were seized. The TikTok posts have now been deleted, and amid the growth of online sales, checks at airports and postal shipments have been intensified.

Andreou warned that the seized substances could be processed into drugs ready for sale, and that a mistake in processing or dosage could lead to death. Dried opium poppy pods (Papaver somniferum) contain the natural opiate alkaloids morphine and codeine; infusions with a strong effect are made from them. Because of the variable concentration of the substances, specialists warn of the risk of overdose and respiratory depression, up to a fatal outcome.

In Limassol, during the operation, ΥΚΑΝ officers detained a 23-year-old man carrying a bag in which two packages of dried Papaver somniferum pods were found, with a total weight of 418 grams. A subsequent search of his home led to a 21-year-old man, in whose possession a cardboard box with eight more packages, with a total weight of 1.682 kg, was found. Both suspects have been remanded in custody. In another operation conducted jointly with the Customs Department, a 35-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman were detained. According to police, this case is the first recorded instance in Cyprus of the importation of such a large batch of drugs of this category. On Wednesday, June 24, Cyprus police will hold a press conference on ΥΚΑΝ's results for the first half of the current year.