Criminal court to sentence man caught with 50 capsules of cocaine

A man arrested after the drug squad raided his hotel room yesterday will remain in custody until the criminal court decides on his sentence, a court has decreed today.



Thomas Uchenna Onyema appeared before magistrate Francesco Depasquale this morning, charged with complicity in trafficking of cocaine.

According to an official statement issued yesterday, the 49-year-old Nigerian national was arrested after officers from the drug squad carried out a raid on his St Paul's Bay hotel room and discovered 50 capsules of cocaine in circumstances indicating that they were not intended for his personal use.

Oneyema who gave his profession as “security guard,” pleaded guilty to charges of complicity in the importation of cocaine, as well as the importing and possession of the drug.

The court solemnly warned the accused of the consequences of pleading guilty to the charges. Onyema proceeded to confirm his plea of guilt.

The court noted the admission and ordered the records and exhibits of the inquiry to be transmitted to the Attorney General.

The accused sat with his head bowed and hands clasped in the dock as the court issued its decree.

“Mr Onyema, in view of the fact that your accusations are of a certain gravity, the court cannot deliver judgment itself but this must be delivered by the criminal court...You will remain in custody until that final judgment is delivered,” the magistrate said.

Lawyer Noel Bartolo was defence counsel.

Inspector Malcolm Bondin prosecuted.