Fuel hawker jailed for drugs, weapons offences after police raid Sliema drug den

A Sliema fuel hawker has been jailed on drugs and weapons charges this morning, as a result of a police raid on a Sliema garage on Tuesday.

Christopher Schembri, 34, was sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined €1,700 after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated possession of cocaine and heroin, breaching bail conditions, possession of unlicensed firearms, handling stolen goods, keeping tools which could be used for burglary without good reason after being convicted for theft, breaching a suspended sentence and relapsing.

Schembri, a kerosene dealer turned diesel distributor, was handed a suspended sentence last October for firing a gun into the air after an argument outside a lawyer's office in Iklin.

Inspectors Gabriel Micallef and Mark Mercieca told magistrate Francesco Depasquale how the police had made a number of arrests during the afternoon raid after finding firearms, ammunition and drugs in a garage in St Helen Street, Sliema.

Two unlicensed 9mm pistols, a revolver, a sawn off shotgun, together with an unknown amount of airguns and ammunition are understood to have been seized from the garage - this remains unconfirmed, however, as the man's admission meant that the items were not exhibited in court.

According to a statement released by the police, nine people had been arrested during the raid on a garage in St Helena Street in Sliema: seven men and two women. All apart from Schembri are expected to be charged with drug possession.

The court upheld a request by Schembri's defence lawyer, David Gatt, to recommend that Schembri be treated for heroin and crack cocaine abuse.