Marsa drug arrests: 17-year-old charged with possession of cannabis, cocaine and heroin

A 17-year old from Mosta has been remanded in custody on multiple drug possession charges following his arrest during Monday’s police raids in Marsa.

The youth, who cannot be named on account of his age, was arraigned before Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi on Wednesday, charged with the possession of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and other psychoactive substances, in circumstances which indicated they were not exclusively intended for personal use. 

The charges were aggravated by the fact that the drugs were found within 100m of a school or club.

Police Inspector John Leigh Howard told the court how the Drugs Squad and other police units had carried out coordinated raids on a number of properties on August 28. One of the raids’ targets was a stables in Triq il-Ġerrejja, Marsa.

Officers had forced their way into the stables, finding the defendant inside, he said. “It was apparent that there was an operation for the packaging and sale of illicit substances [going on].” A number of sachets containing suspected heroin, cocaine, cannabis grass and synthetic cannabis were found.

The youth had released a statement to the police while under arrest, he added.

Defence lawyer Jose Herrera requested the court ban the publication of the defendant’s name on the grounds that he is a minor, which was upheld.

The defence also requested bail. “The evidence disclosed to the defence shows that there was a shed in Marsa where my client was found together with the alleged drugs. There was also an outwards-facing camera and no recordings,” the lawyer submitted.

“We don’t yet know who owns the shed. As we don’t know whether there are any witnesses, we can’t say there is a fear of suborning them,” he added, arguing that the law treated minors with “softer gloves” due to their inexperience, seeing them as “more salvageable from a life of crime”.

Herrera also said that his client was presumed innocent at this stage.

Inspector Howard objected to bail, on the grounds of the serious nature of the charges. The age of the defendant was also a matter of concern, he said. ”The fact that he is already involved in drugs is a serious matter.”

The court rejected the bail request, ruling that it still had concerns about the possibility of evidence being tampered with, adding that it did not have peace of mind that if granted bail, the defendant would abide by the conditions imposed by the court.

The court recommended the minor be detained at the Young Offenders Unit.

Inspector John Leigh Howard prosecuted. Lawyer Matthew Xuereb was also defence counsel.