Man detained for illegally transporting an individual into north Cyprus in the trunk of his vehicle

A man who was found to have illegally transported a person from South Cyprus to North Cyprus in the trunk of his vehicle, has been sent to prison for a period not exceeding 25 days by court order.

The suspect, ME, a Bangladeshi national who was found to have illegally transported a Syrian national from South Cyprus to North Cyprus in the trunk of his vehicle, was arrested on charges of "violating a first-degree military restricted zone, illegal entry, unauthorized entry into TRNC territory, and aiding and abetting a crime" and was brought before the court yesterday morning.

Police in a court statement stated that on January 27, 2025, at 11:41 pm, ME, a resident of the Republic of Cyprus, attempted to enter TRNC through the Metehan border crossing in his vehicle.

During this process, he concealed passenger MR in the trunk of his car, bypassing border procedures and thus violating the first-degree military restricted zone. The officer also recalled that MR was arrested on January 28, 2025, while attempting to leave from Ercan Airport and was subsequently sentenced to a prison term not exceeding two months by the court on January 29.

ME was later arrested on January 30, 2025, while attempting to cross into TRNC through the Metehan land border crossing. The court granted an additional three-day detention period on January 31. During the extended investigation, ME denied the charges, claiming that he had not transported MR into TRNC but had instead picked him up as a hitchhiker in the north.

However, after reviewing multiple surveillance camera recordings, the police determined that EM’s claims were false. Footage showed that his vehicle did not stop on Journalist Hasan Tahsin Street but continued straight before turning into a side street near Sülkem Simit Evi. Minutes later, the vehicle was seen exiting the street and heading back in the same direction. 

Additionally, MR was visibly present in the vehicle on surveillance footage. Furthermore, MR himself admitted in his statement that he had crossed into TRNC in the trunk of the car.

The investigation was concluded, and the police noted that ME resides in the south and has no legal status in TRNC. The police requested his detention until trial.

After evaluating the testimony, the judge ordered that the suspect be sent to prison for a period not exceeding 25 days.