20 months, €3,500 fine for man convicted of possessing heroin in 2010

A 41-year-old man from Marsa has been jailed for 20 months and fined €3,500 for heroin possession after a significant amount of the drug was found at his in-laws’ house in 2010

A 41-year-old man from Marsa has been jailed for 20 months and fined €3,500 for heroin possession after a significant amount of the drug was found at his in-laws’ house in 2010.

Roderick Gerada was cleared of drug trafficking by magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras but convicted of possession of the drug in circumstances which denoted it was not solely for his personal use.

Prosecuting inspector Victor Aquilina had told the court that the police had searched Gerada’s home and found nothing, but that a subsequent search at his in-laws’ house returned a blue tin containing the drugs and €3,300 in cash.

182.1 grams of a brown substance, which later was confirmed as being heroin were found in the tin, which was hidden inside a wardrobe.

A probation officer exhibited a social inquiry report about the man, telling the court that he had been abusing heroin and cocaine since he was 14. He had stopped at age 16 when he met his future wife and mother of his children.

But he had started using drugs again, albeit infrequently, after that.

He insisted that he had stopped using heroin six years ago but had used cocaine on a few occasions since then. He had sought help after the charges were pressed.

But drug tests showed that in May 2015, he was positive for cocaine.

The probation officer said that the man needed to show motivation and dedication in order to hold down a job and live a stable life.

For the purposes of punishment, the court took into account his criminal record, which it noted, contained several convictions for various crimes, including possession of false currency and voluntary damage.

On the other hand, he had not been in trouble with the law since 2010, the magistrate quoted a Social Inquiry Report as saying.

In view of all this, the court imposed a 20-month prison sentence and fined the man €3,500.