Four men arrested for selling gun to wanted man in south Cyprus

Four men who were arrested for selling weapons to a wanted person in south Cyprus have been released under bail conditions.

The four men named as Adem Ersin Aykıt, İzzet Ersalan, Gürkan Ercan and Fikret Can, were caught after attempting to convert 1,300 euros in counterfeit banknotes at an exchange office in Kyrenia.

They were charged with possession of counterfeit bank notes, attempting to put them into circulation and the possession of firearms.

According to police officer at the Kyrenia Forensic Branch, Ali Tanay, one of the suspects Adem Ersin Aykıt, converted a total of 1,300 Euros, consisting of 13 Euro banknotes in denominations of a hundred, into Turkish Lira at an exchange office operating in Kyrenia on the afternoon of August 1, 2023,

The police stated that the suspect was identified after a complaint was made by the exchange office and he was arrested on 2 August.

Sale of Weapon in South
The police officer stated that the suspect said that he went to Southern Cyprus via the Metehan border crossing with İzzet Ersalan, that they sold a gun they took with them to the wanted person in the south and received 1,300 Euros as payment.

The police officer stated that Eraslan was also arrested on 7 August upon his statement. The police announced that Gürkan Ercan and Fikret Can were found following an examination made on the mobile phones of the two suspects. The police stated that Ercan was arrested on 14 August and Can on 17 August. Police said that while examining their mobile phones, the messages of all suspects regarding the sale of weapons were discovered.

Noting that the suspect Aykit was arrested following the counterfeit money exchange in Kyrenia, the police demanded that Aykit and the other three suspects be detained for the crimes of “carrying firearms with intent” in Nicosia.

Judge Tutku Candaş gave a verdict of non-custodial arrest on the condition that the suspects deposit 200,000 TL in cash with a guarantor for each of them.

LGC News