Defence argues insufficient evidence against Giorgos Christodoulou-Zavrantonas in cocaine trafficking case
Defence lawyer Christos Poutziouris told Nicosia’s Criminal Court that his client, Giorgos Christodoulou-Zavrantonas, should not be called to answer charges related to an alleged cocaine trafficking operation involving 15 kilograms of the drug. Poutziouris argued that the prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case, primarily disputing the reliability of key testimony by Giannis Andreou, who previously implicated Zavrantonas as the mastermind.
Prosecutor Vasilis Bisas countered that the evidence presented is sufficient to proceed and confirmed no further witnesses would be called. The court is scheduled to rule on October 16 whether the case against Zavrantonas should continue. If deemed valid, the accused will be called to respond and the defence may present witnesses.
The case stems from a 2019 Anti-Drugs Unit seizure in Lakatamia. Zavrantonas was initially convicted and sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2022, but the conviction was overturned in May 2026 due to a trial court error, resulting in the current retrial before Nicosia’s Permanent Criminal Court C’.
No news yet
CYPRadar is a state-of-the-art, AI-powered Cyprus news aggregator that automatically crawls, filters, and translates local updates in real time. By continuously scanning a wide range of trusted Cypriot media outlets, blogs, and official RSS feeds, the platform identifies original stories and uses advanced language models to filter out duplicate coverage. The service then generates concise, objective summaries, ensuring that readers get a quick and clear understanding of every significant event without information overload.
The primary mission of CYPRadar is to provide comprehensive, multi-language coverage of Cyprus news to keep both residents and international visitors well-informed. The platform covers key events across all major cities and districts, including Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, and Famagusta. By offering all updates simultaneously in five languages — English, Russian, Greek, Ukrainian, and Turkish — CYPRadar bridges communication gaps and ensures that everyone has equal access to critical local information, from policy changes to community events.
Follow police reports, crime statistics, and justice updates in Cyprus. Read about local law enforcement operations, safety measures, judicial court cases, road safety controls, and community policing initiatives.