Suspected poachers arrested

Police in Limassol and Famagusta nabbed two suspected poachers in separate arrests on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, they said.

On Saturday night during a routine traffic stop in Limassol, officers arrested a 45-year-old man whose breath smelled of alcohol and who was driving without a licence or insurance, they said. His documents had expired in December 2013.

A search of the vehicle allegedly revealed a shotgun under the passenger seat, a bag containing 282 shotgun cartridges and 18 freshly-killed wild birds.

Police said investigations revealed that the gun was registered to another 45-year-old who had loaned it to a third man, a 43-year-old. The two other men were also arrested. The owner of the gun was later charged and released but the other two men remained in custody.

In a second incident on Sunday morning, police and members of the anti-poaching squad arrested a 20-year-old in Liopetri who they said was in possession of audio equipment used to lure wild birds on to limesticks and mistnets. The man was charged and released and the illegal equipment confiscated.