Criminal Court grants bail to Italian men accused of trafficking 55kg of cannabis

Two men charged last year with having imported 55kg of cannabis have been released on bail.

Vito Potenza, 34, and Antonio Saponara, 35, denied importing and trafficking the drug. They were also charged with conspiracy to import drugs into Malta.  

The two were arrested by the police upon their arrival on a vessel in Marsascala last November. The court heard how a tip-off to the Drug Squad about a boat entering the port with a large amount of cannabis aboard had led to the men’s arrests. Sacks containing the drugs, thought to have a street value of around €750,000, were found.

Further searches at the residences of the accused turned up a small amount of cannabis together with a substance thought to be cocaine.

 The men had been denied bail upon their arraignment.

Photo: Malta Police Force

Before the Criminal Court, lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri had argued, amongst other things, that the men had strong ties to Malta, saying that they would be exhibiting rental contracts, summoning prospective employers, their wives’ Maltese employers and social security details and declarations by the Italian consulate about the men’s characters, together with their Italian criminal records.

All this would show that in a short period of time, the accused and their wives had understood the importance of the situation and relocated to Malta as quickly as possible, said the lawyers.

The women had also applied for Maltese ID cards, they argued, saying that “if this is not enough to show that a person detained has solid ties to Malta, what more can a person do from behind bars in prison?”

The court, quoting at length from doctrine and case law, upheld the defence’s arguments.

In a decree handed down yesterday, the Criminal Court presided by Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera released the men on bail, each requiring a deposit of €20,000 and a further personal guarantee of €20,000, among other conditions.

Police inspectors Steven Micallef and Mark Mercieca prosecuted while lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri were defence counsel.