Suspected drug trafficker charged with escaping from police after weeks on the run

A couple on bail for drug trafficking charges were back in court after a police raid on a hotel room in St Julian’s.

Naswan Abdikadir Mohammed Morat, 33, also known as Murat Nazwan, from Valletta was charged with the possession of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy in circumstances which indicated that they were intended to be trafficked. He was also charged with disobeying the police’s lawful orders, obstructing them in their duties and escaping from custody.

Other charges against the man included committing those offences within 100 metres of a school or place where youths normally gather, recidivism and breaching four sets of bail conditions, the earliest of which dates back to 2020.

Police inspectors John Leigh Howard and Mark Anthony Mercieca arraigned the man under arrest before magistrate Kevan Azzopardi on Monday.

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Inspector Howard explained that in November 2023, the police had been carrying out surveillance on two individuals - Morat and Judith Bakoush - at a hotel in St. Julians when the decision was taken to arrest the pair.

Police officers had stopped Morat outside the hotel door and placed him under arrest, but while the police inspector reached into his pocket to pull out the arrest warrant, the man had made a run for it and escaped from the arresting police officers. He remained on the run for several weeks.

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Bakoush had been arrested inside his hotel room, where what police suspected to be drugs were found. More drugs were also found, stashed in the hotel’s common areas.

He had been arraigned the next day, while police continued to search for Morat, who was also put on the wanted list.

Inspector Mercieca continued the account of Morat’s arrest, taking over from his colleague.

“Morat has several ongoing cases in court, and is under a number of bail decrees, which impose a curfew.” The defendant had also withdrawn one of his bail deposits, said the inspector.

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All police checks on his declared address in Valletta indicated that he did not live there. A raid on another property in Qawra, on 26 December, was also unsuccessful. On that occasion, the suspect had fled from a back entrance. Bakoush, who had been on police bail at that time, was found inside the residence in question.

Investigations had subsequently led the police to an address in Kirkop, where Morat, Bakoush and the owner of the property were all arrested in a police raid on January 13.

In court this morning, Morat was assisted by lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Francesca Zarb.

Debono asked the inspector about the amount of drugs that had been found, suggesting that it was low enough to constitute simple possession at law. The prosecution replied that the police had recovered 22 packets of suspected cocaine, seven pills suspected to be ecstasy and two sachets of cannabis grass from the man’s possession.

Morat replied to the charges by pleading not guilty. Bail was not requested at this stage.

Bakoush was next to be arraigned, assisted by the same team of lawyers.

Inspector Mercieca explained that she had been arrested in connection with a drug find and arraigned the next day. She, too, had been under several sets of bail conditions - four in total.

While carrying out surveillance in connection with the operation to arrest Morat, the police had observed Bakoush committing several breaches of her bail conditions. She had stopped signing her bail books and changed her address without informing the court, moving to the same Kirkop address as Morat, said the inspector. Clothes belonging to Bakoush were also found inside Morat’s apartment, he added.

The 33-year-old Valletta woman was accused of assisting in Morat’s escape, breaching her bail conditions and recidivism.

Debono suggested that Bakoush had handed over medical certificates to the police that explained her failure to sign her bail book, but the Magistrate pointed out that they “will not affect anything at all,” as they did not justify the alleged curfew breaches.

Inspector Mercieca added that the woman had only gone to her doctor to obtain the certificates in early January.

The prosecution objected to the defence’s request for bail.

Debono argued that his client had handed in medical certificates which satisfied part of the conditions. With regards to the other conditions, the court was no longer bound to order her re-arrest, submitted the lawyer.

In his submissions, Inspector Mercieca replied that Bakoush was not only accused of breaching bail conditions. “As the case develops, we will show that she assisted a person on the escape from the police. Her criminal record shows that she is not a novice when it comes to court and police matters.”

Additionally, the police were still to question a number of other individuals, including one who is still being treated in hospital, about the case.

Bail was denied by the magistrate so as to prevent tampering with evidence, in view of the remaining witnesses. The court said it was also taking into account the defendant’s criminal record and the fact that the court had granted Bakoush bail on several occasions in the past, which she had not observed the conditions of.

The magistrate explained that he was of the opinion that were she to be granted bail again, she would not stick to the rigorous conditions that the court could impose.