Cypriot police questioned several foreign citizens over the weekend and Monday in the Famagusta area, after they were found selling laughing gas (nitrous oxide).
Early Monday morning, one British man, a Hungarian woman and a Romanian man were arrested selling laughing gas, a pharmaceutical product, without licence. Police confiscated 135 balloons, 40 unused and 26 used canisters, and 50 euros in cash.
On Saturday, four foreign citizens were also questioned after being spotted selling the same product. The police confiscated unused and used canisters along with 45 balloons and 164 euros in cash.
Laughing gas can produce a high when inhaled and is widely popular within the parties in the area of Ayia Napa.
Laughing gas, or Hippy Crack as it is called in the UK, is a medicine mainly used by dentists to make patients more comfortable during treatment.
A less pure form of laughing gas containing chemicals or gases such as methyl nitrate is used by young people, especially in parties in the UK, bars and concerts.
Users inhale the gas in a balloon which has been filled from a canister. The laughing gas brings an intense feeling of euphoria for about a minute.
However authorities have warned that nitrous oxide abuse could lead to oxygen deprivation resulting in loss of blood pressure, fainting and heart attacks. It has also been linked to a number of deaths in the UK.
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