Police arrest 56-year-old man for migrant smuggling near Nicosia

On the evening of May 15, 2026, members of the Cypriot police special unit MMAD intercepted a vehicle moving from the buffer zone toward the free areas near Lympia. The 56-year-old driver ignored police orders to stop and was eventually halted in the Alambra area after colliding with a police patrol car. During the arrest, police fired a warning shot into the air to immobilize the suspect. Inside the vehicle, officers found four third-country nationals, specifically two women aged 32 and 29 and two minors aged 10 and 16, who were being transported from the occupied areas. The driver was arrested on charges of facilitating illegal entry and residence, and the Nicosia District Court subsequently ordered his six-day detention. The four passengers were transferred to the Kokkinotrimithia reception center for third-country nationals. Investigations into the incident are being conducted by the Pera Chorio police station.