Man arrested at airport with 1.7kg cannabis in his suitcase, denies drug trafficking charges

A Moroccan man has been arraigned in court after airport-based customs officers discovered over a kilogramme of cannabis in his luggage.

In a Thursday afternoon arraignment before Magistrate Lara Lanfranco, police inspector Marshal Mallia charged Ameur El Hichami 43, from Morocco, with offences relating to conspiracy to import and traffic cannabis grass, as well as the possession of cannabis in circumstances denoting that it was not solely for his personal use.

Hichami, who said he was a labourer, told the court that he has no fixed place of abode in Malta.

He had been arrested yesterday after arriving on a flight from Seville, when a random customs check carried out at the airport discovered 1.7kg of cannabis grass in his luggage.

Lawyer Joseph P. Bonnici, appearing for Hichami, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges. Bail was not requested.