No bail for 18-year-old arrested for trafficking drugs at Numero Uno

A young man with a history of trouble with the law has been remanded in custody after being arrested at a party early this morning and found to be in possession of a panoply of illegal substances.



Magistrate Ian Farrugia heard Inspector Jonathan Cassar explain how 18-year-old Slava Baldacchino, from Tarxien, was arrested yesterday by police acting on information that he had been trafficking drugs at Numero Uno.

Baldacchino, who was on bail for unrelated charges, was supposed to be at home at 8:30pm, but was found there at 3:00am. Police who stopped the accused had found 17 ecstasy pills, cocaine and yellow powders suspected to be mephedrone and powdered ecstasy in his underpants.

A subsequent search of his home recovered another 10 sachets of powder, which he claimed to be baking powder, alleging that he had been duped into buying them thinking they were cocaine. He had told officers that he was planning to sell them as cocaine, the court was told.

Baldacchino, who told the court he was unemployed, was charged with possession of cannabis, mephedrone, ecstasy and cocaine, the latter two in circumstances that led police to suspect that they were not for his personal consumption. He was also accused of being in possession of the illicit substances at a place frequented by youths, committing a crime during the operative period of a suspended sentence, breaching a probation order and bail conditions which he had been handed by three different courts.

Lawyer Yanika Bugeja requested bail. The prosecution opposed this request, however, saying that while the amounts seized had not been great, the accused was already on bail. The charges were very serious in nature, the prosecution added.

Bugeja argued that the court could impose conditions to prevent the accused from committing other offences.

But the court said it was not in the best interests of justice to grant bail. The accused was not deemed trustworthy, in view of his criminal record.