Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs

Nigerian man was jailed for 12 years and fined €50,000 today after admitting in court to having imported nearly a kilo of drugs hidden in capsules in his stomach and his rectum.
In a similar case, a man from Gambia was jailed for 10 years and fined €20,000, after he admitted importing 250 grams hidden in capsules in his stomach.
Both men were arrested separately last August after flying i from Spain.
Chief Justice Vincent DeGaetano in handing down sentence said that the two accused, Joseph Failazu, 32 and Yahye Ceefay, 25, were part of a wider criminal organisation which had used them to achieve its ends, but they were well aware of what they were doing and the consequences of their actions.
The court, however, had noted their early guilty plea.

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Two foreigners were arrested in Sliema

Two foreigners were arrested in Sliema, on the north east coast of Malta, after one of them was found with cocaine capsules in his stomach, the local police reported.
The offender, 36, born in the Dominican Republic but with residence in Spain, was found with 80 capsules hidden in his stomach, containing approximately 800g of cocaine.The second detainee is a 35-year-old woman. They had arrived in Malta through a direct flight from Brussels and were sent to Mater Dei hospital where medical examinations took place.

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Two foreigners were arrested in Sliema

Two foreigners were arrested in Sliema, on the north east coast of Malta, after one of them was found with cocaine capsules in his stomach, the local police reported.
The offender, 36, born in the Dominican Republic but with residence in Spain, was found with 80 capsules hidden in his stomach, containing approximately 800g of cocaine.The second detainee is a 35-year-old woman. They had arrived in Malta through a direct flight from Brussels and were sent to Mater Dei hospital where medical examinations took place.

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Perry Ingomar Toornstra, 28, is serving 15 years after he was found guilty of importing over 4,000 ecstasy pills and 460 LSD trips in 2000.

Perry Ingomar Toornstra, 28, is serving 15 years after he was found guilty of importing over 4,000 ecstasy pills and 460 LSD trips in 2000.On 6 December 2004 he received a package from abroad which contained toiletries and a packet of marsh mellows. A police sergeant, who inspected the package in the presence of the prisoner, noticed that a soap tube was oozing cream and realised that it was not properly sealed. He kept squeezing the container and three capsules fell out of the tube. Toornstra tried swallowing the capsules and was only prevented from doing so following a scuffle with the sergeant.Tests on the capsules revealed that the contained a total weight of 30 grams of cocaine.
Toornstra later told the police that he was expecting the drug, yet he was only expecting four or five grammes. He said that the drug was for his personal use and he could make 20 grammes of pure cocaine from the 30 grammes he was sent.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Lawrence Quintano said that although a considerable amount of cocaine was found in Toornstra’s possession, “the circumstances of the case leave a luring doubt as to whether the defendant had an intention to pass the cocaine to other persons.”In handing down his judgment, Magistrate Quintano also took into consideration “the way it (cocaine) was going to be introduced in a correctional facility where every effort is being made to control the inflow of drugs”.Thus he found Toornstra guilty of possessing cocaine and jailed him for nine months and fined him e600.

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Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and trafficking

Joseph Calleja, 30, and his brother Noel, 28 and Doreen Bugeja, 33, all from Santa Venera were charged with heroin possession and trafficking on 6 May and before. The drugs were found after a raid by the Police Drug Squad. A total of 35 grammes of heroin and 10 grammes of cocaine were seized.Doreen Bugeja pleaded not guilty to heroin trafficking, but admitted to charges of simple possession. She was also accused of relapsing in view of previous convictions. The court, presided over by Magistrate Doreen Clarke refused a bail application, but recommended that the Corradino Correctional Facility Director to allow the accused to enrol in a drug rehabilitation programme. The court will pass sentence on 16 May.Joseph Calleja pleaded guilty to heroin possession and trafficking as well as relapsing in view of previous convictions. The court will pass sentence with regard to this case also on 16 May.The younger of the brothers, Noel, pleaded not guilty to charges of heroin and cocaine possession and trafficking. He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting a number of police officers, relapsing in view of previous convictions as well as committing a crime while under the operative period of a suspended prison sentence.
Police Inspector Jesmond Borg prosecuted while Dr Mark Busuttil and Dr Stephen Tonna Lowell appeared for the accused.

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Five men and a woman were arrested yielding a considerable amount of cocaine and heroin

Five men and a woman were arrested over the past few days in three operations which yielded a considerable amount of cocaine and heroin, the police said. In the first operation, some 300 grams of heroin were found on Friday hidden in 30 capsules. A 31-year-old man from Kirkop was arrested after a car chase which saw two police cars damaged. The police explained that early on Friday afternoon members of the Drug Squad saw a man who was already known to them acting suspiciously as he drove a Mercedes near the Bulebel traffic lights. The police tried to stop his but he escaped, damaging a police car in the process. The police followed in a high speed chase towards Ghaxaq and they eventually stopped him at Zejtun where he damaged another police vehicle, as well as his own. The second drugs discovery was made on Saturday when a Brazilian was intercepted by customs officers and members of the Police Drug Squad upon arriving on a flight from Rome. The man was found to be carrying 26 capsules with 260 grams of cocaine. The Brazilian was arraigned in court and pleaded not guilty. He has been remanded in custody.
Last night a 24-year-old Nigerian carrying a Spanish ID card was arrested at the airport after he was found carrying more than 800 grams of heroin. The police later arrested two Nigerian men and a woman in connection with this case.

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Libyan man has been arrested by the police smuggling 3 kilograms of heroin to Malta

Libyan man has been arrested by the police after he was caught trying to import around 3 kilograms of heroin to Malta. The man was held at the Malta International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after he had landed aboard a flight from Tripoli.
During a search being carried out on a number of passengers, customs officials and police from the anti-drugs squad noticed the Libyan man acting in a suspicious manner. When his luggage was examined with the x-ray machine, a suspicious packet was noticed in a false bottom. Further analysis confirmed that the big packet contained around 3 kilograms of heroin. Duty Magistrate Dr Giovanni Grixti was informed about the case and appointed various experts to aid in the enquiry. The man, who is expected to be arraigned in Court in the coming days, is being held for questioning as further investigations are ongoing.

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Paul Muscat

A Gozitan part-time farmer was yesterday jailed for 18 years and fined €45,000 (Lm19,318) after a panel of jurors found him guilty to cultivating, possessing and trafficking in over 19 kilogrammes of dried cannabis leaves worth €47,100 (Lm20,220).
After five hours deliberation, the panel of jurors found Paul Muscat, 59, from Nadur, guilty by seven votes to two to cultivating cannabis in his fields at Wied Bingemma limits of Nadur Gozo. He was also found guilty by eight votes to one of trafficking in cannabis and being in possession of the drug in circumstances denoting that it was not for his personal use.
He was unanimously acquitted of associating himself with other people to traffic cannabis.
Muscat was arrested on 16 December 2003 after the police had put him under surveillance.
In handing down his judgment, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, said he took into consideration the damage that drugs cause to society, the considerable amount of cannabis found in Muscat’s possession as well as the uniformity of penalties inflicted in similar cases.
In his submissions on penalty defense counsel Joe Brincat reminded presiding judge Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono that Muscat was boarded out of work due to his cardiac problems.
For her part, prosecutor Dr Lara Lanfranco from the Office of the Attorney General said Muscat had no qualms in trying to defend himself by throwing mud at the police. The jurors certainly did not believe his version of events, she said, as they had found him guilty.
On Tuesday, Muscat in his testimony had accused a sergeant of hitting him in the face and chest, and an inspector of threatening him and his wife.
This matter had unfortunately thrown bad light on the police force as Muscat’s version of events had been reported faithfully by the media, she said.

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Akram Omar Ibrahim Tawerghi

A Libyan man was remanded in custody yesterday after pleading not guilty to possessing a “considerable amount” of cannabis resin with intent to traffic it.
Akram Omar Ibrahim Tawerghi, 23, was accused of being in possession of the cannabis which was found in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use.
The court heard how on Wednesday night, the police caught Mr Tawerghi in possession of a “considerable amount” of cannabis, hidden in a container in his sock.
The accused told the police, and repeated in court yesterday, that the cannabis was for his personal use and that he had no intention of selling it.
Magistrate Doreen Clarke turned down a request for bail and Mr Tawerghi was remanded in custody.
Police Inspector Nadia Lanzon and Carlo Ellul prosecuted while Dr Leon Bencini appeared for the accused.

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Patrick Mangion

Patrick Mangion, 33, of Qormi, pleaded guilty to seriously injuring 71-year-old Vincenza Attard when he snatched her handbag containing an undisclosed amount of money and other items.
Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard how Ms Attard was walking along Hospital Street, in Rabat when Mr Mangion grabbed her handbag.
The magistrate noted that crimes targeting the elderly are very serious. In addition, the accused was a repeat offender. She said he had a number of conditional discharges, suspended sentences and even jail terms but it seemed he had not yet learnt his lesson.
Magistrate Scerri Herrera said the court always tried to help drug addicts kick the habit but, in this case, Mr Mangion did not make much of an effort to reform himself. She, therefore, jailed him for two years and recommended that the prison authorities help him with his addiction.
Police Inspector Mario Tonna prosecuted.

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Stanley Chircop

Stanley Chircop, 38, from Fgura,
guilty of heroin trafficking and its possession and also guilty of cocaine

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Savane Mussa

Savane Mussa, a 35 year old German national, was arraigned in court on Saturday morning and charged with importing cocaine in Malta, and with involvement in drug trafficking.
Airport officials caught the man in possession of 800 grams of cocaine on Friday, as soon as he arrived in Malta on board a flight from Tunis.
Mussa was stopped by the Customs’ officials, who scanned his one piece of luggage and noticed a suspicious looking object hidden in his shoes. The man was asked to accompany the Customs officials to the search room and, upon opening his luggage, whitish powder was found hidden in his two pairs of shoes. A body search was then conducted but not other drugs were found. It was also later confirmed that the powder found in the man’s shoes was cocaine.

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Malta Airport

800 grammes of cocaine were seized at the airport on Thursday evening by the Customs Enforcement Squad and the police.
The drug was on a passenger who held a German passport and who had arrived on a flight from Tunisia. The only luggage he was carrying was scanned and it appeared that there was something suspicious inside.
The passenger was asked to enter the search room together with customs officials where the contents of his luggage were examined, and white powder was found in two pairs of shoes, which was later confirmed to be cocaine. A search was also made on the passenger himself but nothing was found. He is now under investigation by the police

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Marco Vella, 34, and Wendy Janet Agius

Marco Vella, 34, and Wendy Janet Agius, 32, both from Sliema, pleaded not guilty to the charges of using false euro notes and defrauding several establishments of less than Lm100 on and before 17 December.
Ms Agius was also accused of relapsing.
Prosecuting Inspector Ian Joseph Abdilla told the court, presided over by magistrate Jacqueline Padovani, that the money was found in their Sliema apartment during a raid. He added that the police found 32 false e50 and e100 notes, and said that it was the biggest haul of false euro notes so far.

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Malta man

A Malta man was accused yesterday of possessing around 250 grammes of cannabis that was found in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use.
The man, who is from Rabat but who cannot be identified, by court order, pleaded not guilty to cannabis possession with intent to traffic on 26 June and the preceding three months.
Before magistrate Giovanni Grixti, the man pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
He was granted bail against a deposit of Lm1,000 and a personal guarantee of Lm500.

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A 42 year old man from Sliema

A 42 year old man from Sliema was arrested after a number of cannabis plants were found in his apartment.
In a separate raid in Cospicua, police arrested a 33 year old man after quantities of heroin drug were found in his parents’ home. Another 36 year old man from Swieqi, Franco Arcidiacono, was also arrested after he was caught with 35 grams of cocaine in his vehicle.

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