Man 'sold' stolen M1 Garand rifle to undercover police officer in 2009

A former VAT department employee, one of several accused of carrying out a scam at the department, has been handed a suspended sentence over possession of cocaine and a stolen WW2 M1 Garand rifle.

Nigel John Abela, 46, from Dingli, was sentenced to nine months suspended for two years and fined €600 after he was found guilty of charges as well as owning several unlicensed firearms.

Before Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, Superintendent Keith Arnaud had explained how the investigation had started from a tip-off that the accused was trying to sell weapons.

Arnaud had called the accused, pretending to be an interested buyer and after Abela confirmed that he did indeed have weapons for sale. They had agreed to meet near the Mosta cemetery in the afternoon of 28 September 2009. At the meeting point, Arnaud had identified himself as a police officer and searched the man’s car, finding the M1 Garand in a camouflage pocket.

The rifle had been amongst 11 weapons reported stolen in 2007 from a collector in Hamrun. An unregistered pump-action shotgun was also found on his bed after a search at his home.

Several bags of used syringes were found, together with 5 packets of suspected cocaine in a jar behind the television. The drugs were later confirmed to be 2.67grams of cocaine at a purity of 25%.

Abela admitted the drugs charge.

From the evidence, it emerged that a third party had passed on the stolen weapons to the man temporarily for safekeeping, but the court said that he was still in breach of the law by being in possession of them without a licence.

He was legally bound to advise the Commissioner of Police that the weapons had ended up in his possession.

The court noted that the man had admitted only to the drugs charge but had not done so at an early stage of the proceedings. The man had a clean criminal record at the time, observed the court, adding that it was only finding guilt on the charge relating to the Garand.

Noting also that the case dated back to 2009 due to delays caused by the prosecution, the court condemned Abela to nine months in prison, suspended for two years together with a fine of €600.