 |
|
|
|
local
news
"Zeppi l-Hafi" was not
at the depot when drug packet was opened
When Dr Anthony Abela Medici and fingerprint expert Jeffrey Hughes
were opening the packet which contained approximately one kilo of
cocaine Joseph Fenech, better known as Zeppi l-Hafi was not present
at the Police Headquarters.
Only Clarissa Calleja, Meinrad Calleja's sister, was present during
the checking of the drugs.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Hughes said he did not know Joseph Fenech and
the first time he saw him was in court. Drug expert Dr Anthony Abela
Medici explained that he was involved in the Clarissa Cachia, Joseph
Fenech case and the report he made for Meinrad's case was a photo
copy of the one he did for his sister and Zeppi l-Hafi.
Meinrad Calleja, 39, of Swieqi, is pleading not guilty to the trafficking
of one kilogramme of cocaine during and before November 1993.
Calleja is also charged with two counts of drug conspiracy and the
possession of cocaine in circumstances indicating that the drugs
were not for his exclusive use.
The Criminal Court yesterday heard how Meinrad Calleja planned to
import six kilogrammes of cocaine to Malta and to sell them to a
drug dealer for some Lm15,000 per kilogramme.
"Calleja is said to have met a certain Charlie Muscat and Raymond
Debono at 9, Nicolo Isouard Street, Mosta, in 1993 and they decided
to start trafficking cocaine in Malta," the prosecution said.
"They agreed that Calleja would provide the cocaine while Muscat
would buy the drugs from him to traffic in Malta.
"Muscat could not buy all the drugs at once so they planned
that Calleja would import one kilogramme of cocaine at a time in
various consignments," the prosecution said in its bill of
indictment.
The bill was read out to the seven male and two female jurors and
four supplementary jurors called in to hear Calleja's trial, which
started yesterday morning.
They agreed that Calleja and his sister Clarissa would provide the
drugs, while Fenech would find one or more buyers.
The prosecution is insisting that towards the end of November 1993
and in the months before, Calleja, his sister Clarissa Cachia and
Joseph Fenech decided to start trafficking cocaine in Malta.
During the afternoon hearing, Dr Anthony Abela Medici testified
that he was given a packet which contained cocaine. He said that
he opened the packet in front of Clarissa Cachia.
Jeffrey Hughes, a fingerprint expert, said that he found a mark
on one of the brown strips of tape that was holding the packet.
The packet also had two other marks on the tape, which was on the
outside of the packet. The block of cocaine had no marks on it.
Yesterday morning's reading in front of the jurors of the statement
regarding the case against Clarissa Cachia and Joseph Fenech brought
about a rift between the defence and prosecution.
Deputy Attorney General, Dr Silvio Camilleri, who is prosecuting
and Dr Emmanuel Mallia, who, together with Dr Ramona Frendo, are
appearing for Calleja, were at loggerheads as the defence stated
that when the prosecution gives mention to such a case he would
then need to counter-attack - as this goes against the legal practice.
Mr Justice Vincent De Gaetano, who is presiding over case, said
that Dr Mallia could not assume what will happen in the future.
He said that if this does occur, then the court will hear the defence's
deposition on the matter and will act accordingly.
But Dr Mallia said that this is bound to happen, as the prosecution
will use it for its own purposes.
Dr Silvio Camilleri agreed with the court, but then both sides started
shouting at each other. Despite Justice DeGaetano's intervention,
both parties continued shouting for a few more minutes. They were
later fined Lm10 each.
The statement was later read out, which stated that on the December
1, 1993 the police had information that a beige Ford Fiesta was
parked near the Café Roma at Ghar il-Lenbi Street, Sliema.
Clarissa Calleja, Meinrad's sister, passed something to Joseph Fenech.
Clarissa got into a rented car driven by Fenech with the cocaine
and they drove to a place to conclude what was supposed to be the
drug deal.
But police carrying out a surveillance operation intervened before
the deal was concluded and managed to foil the deal.
Police had followed them for a while trying not to be conspicuous
but at one point they thought that they may have been noticed and
decided to stop the car," Dr Camilleri said.
Police searched the car and found a bag containing almost one kilogramme
of 84 per cent pure cocaine.
The woman in the car was Calleja's sister and she immediately admitted
the bag belonged to her.
Later the sachet was tested by the police laboratory and by drug
expert Dr Abela Medici. It was found that the sachet had some 999.6
grams of cocaine. The cocaine was destroyed on 27 June 1994.
The first witness was former Police Constable Marlon Debattista
from the police labortary who made a report about the drugs. Other
witnesses were John Cassar, a former police photographer and Dr
Abela Medici.
The trial continues this morning. |
|
|
