Three men who attempted to import 2kg of cannabis by post denied bail

Updated at 4pm with court details

Three men arrested in a police sting operation that foiled the importation of cannabis by postal delivery were denied bail on Sunday.

Macedonian nationals Bojan Veljanoski, 24, an estate agent, Daniel Mackinovski, 25, who declared that he was unemployed, and Ivan Georgiev Ivanov, 19, a post-secondary student from Marsaskala, were arraigned on several drug related charges.

Veljanoski and Mackinovski share the same Marsaskala residence.

All three pleaded not guilty to charges that include involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy, importation of cannabis and illegal possession of the drug.

The cannabis is understood to have a street value of €15,000 (Photo: Malta Police Force)

Ivanov was separately charged with possession of cocaine under circumstances denoting that the drug was not for his exclusive use.

Inspector Jonathan Pace testified that the sting operation kicked off when a local courier company flagged a suspicious parcel that had been mailed from abroad. Police checked the package, which contained 2kg of cannabis grass. The estimated street value of the drug is €15,000.

Subsequently, the police obtained a magisterial warrant to set up a controlled delivery operation to the indicated address in Marsaskala last Friday.

Police officers had noticed a white car speeding through the street several times while a young man, later identified as Mackinovski, stood on a balcony, talking on his phone. He later left the block, took the parcel, signed and moved back, saying that he would “be back.”

But he suddenly ran away with Inspector Pace giving chase and catching the suspect who tripped and fell.

A mobile phone and a bunch of keys were found in his possession but the suspect insisted that he did not live there, telling police that it was his friend’s residence.

Meanwhile, police also blocked the white vehicle. The driver was later identified as Veljanoski and the passenger as Ivanov.

Police searched the car and found a cannabis bud, money and several mobile phones, one of which was allegedly used to communicate with the courier.

Upon arrest, Ivanov claimed that he only had 20g of cannabis at home, insisting that it was for his personal use.

But when police searched his apartment at another Marsaskala address they found some 200g of the drug, a backpack stuffed with vacuum-packed packages of cannabis buds similar to the one involved in the controlled delivery, sachets of cocaine, weighing scales and other drug paraphernalia

Veljanoski and Mackinovski opted for silence during interrogation. Ivanov claimed that he was beaten and threatened by the two other co-accused because of some unsettled debt. Bruises he showed police were however certified by doctors as not having been caused recently.

All three men requested bail, which was however denied.

Lawyer Franco Debono, assisting Veljanoski and Mackinovski, argued his clients both had a fixed address and could pay a bail deposit.

Ivanov’s lawyer, Albert Zerafa, argued that the accused had been living in Malta for 10 years, had a fixed address and was studying at post-secondary level. The teen had a clean criminal record. Moreover, Ivanov was claiming that he was beaten and forced to act against his will by the other two co-accused.

After hearing submissions, the court, presided by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, refused to grant bail. The court upheld the prosecution’s request for a freezing order over the accused’s assets.

Attorney General lawyer Maria Francesca Spiteri and Inspector Jonathan Pace prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for Veljanoski and Mackinovski, while lawyer Albert Zerafa was counsel to Ivanov.