Turkish fashion designer detained in Cyprus over drugs

Ömer Bilge - NICOSIA

Airport police in Northern Cyprus have detained a Turkish fashion designer for smuggling marijuana into the country.

Barbaros Şansal, a famous designer in Turkey, bought a house in Kyrenia in February and began spending most of his time on the island.

A narcotic dog warned the police at Ercan Airport on the Turkish side of Nicosia when it sniffed Şansal’s pocket, which held 6 grams of marijuana on May 12.

Turkish Cypriot police requested a three-day detention of Şansal for the investigation, but the court in Nicosia limited his detention to one day.

Şansal, who is expected to be released on bail with a ban on leaving the country, will appear before the court again on May 13.

The designer, a former assistant of Turkish fashion master Yıldırım Mayruk, also made headlines with his support for the Gezi Park protests in 2013. 

Şansal and Mayruk have bought a house in Kyrenia’s Karmi village, which is mostly populated by Britons.