Men charged with drug trafficking half-kilo of cocaine granted bail on second attempt

Bail has been granted to a man charged earlier this month with trafficking half a kilogram of cocaine.

58-year-old Jesmond Gillard was arraigned on 15 August, together with Wayne Buttigieg, 41, after being arrested in Valletta following a tip-off.

The men’s charges were rendered aggravated by the fact that they were arrested close to a place frequented by young people.

Body searches carried out on the men had led police to find 500g of cocaine and thousands of euro in cash on their person. The street value of the cocaine is estimated at €27,000, the police said in a statement at the time.

The men, who are pleading not guilty to the charges, had requested bail, which was initially denied.

But in a bail decree handed down yesterday after a separate court application was filed, Gillard was released against a €5,500 deposit and a €14,500 personal guarantee. He was ordered to sign a bail book 3 times a week and observe a curfew. Buttigieg’s bail decree will be handed down at a later stage as it was filed late.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi was defence counsel to Gillard.