A 36-year-old Greek Cypriot man is being held in Istanbul’s Maltepe prison, after he was discovered at the airport with 2.5 kg of cocaine in his suitcase, reports said on Tuesday.
The Consular General of Greece is expected to visit the man after he has received all the necessary clearance from Turkish authorities.
The 36-year-old resident of Nicosia was arrested at approximately midnight at Istanbul’s airport after having arrived from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reports suggest that the cocaine was secreted in the walls of the man’s suitcase.
Sources mentioned that the 36-year-old was expected to fly into the illegal Tymvos airport in the occupied areas.
Infamous conditions at Maltepe jail
The prison that the man is being held in has been the recipient of hundreds of allegations regarding its living conditions, many of which reached the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Claims against the prison had been filed within months of its opening.
Maltepe prison is known for hosting foreigners who are being held for extradition. This is one of the reasons that it has garnered attention from the CPT, reports said, referring to the frequent visits made by committee members to the prison.
The jail is made up of a number of blocks, which hold approximately 4,000 individuals. The prison blocks are as follows:
– One for children and teenagers, with a holding capacity of approximately 950 individuals
– One L2 block, which is a maximum security prison, with a holding capacity of approximately 1,000 individuals
– One military prison block in which high level military officials are held, with a holding capacity of approximately 1,000 individuals
– One prison block for criminals, with a holding capacity of approximately 1,000 individuals
– One ‘open prison’ block for individuals with limited restrictions to their movements, with a holding capacity of approximately 444 individuals
Turkey has approximately 384 prisons, which are split into three categories. There are closed jails, semi-open, and open prisons. Closed jails are then further split into maximum security and normal, with women’s blocks and underage blocks always remaining separated. Individuals who have been detained are split into detainees and convicts.
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