Dog sniffs out cannabis plant, lands three persons in court

Three persons were arraigned in court this morning accused with the importation of almost 4kg of cannabis plant, found hidden in a car, which reached Malta from Sicily via catamaran.

The discovery was made on September 14, thanks to Caeser, a sniffer dog, in a joint investigation by the K9 Section and the anti-drug squad.

It is understood that the police had been following the trio from Sicily. It led to the arrest of a Maltese woman – 41-year-old Rita Scicluna of Luqa – her Nigerian husband, 28-year-old Nicholas Obaseki and a 27-year-old man from Nigeria who does not reside in Malta.

In court, it was recounted how the drugs were found in the car driven by the woman, who had her toddler with. The cannabis was found in packets hidden in the car’s engine. The two men, who were waiting for the woman in Malta, were also arrested.

The trio pleaded not guilty. The woman was released on bail whilst the two men were remanded in custody.