AFM drug heist: Court lowers bail deposit for Safi Barracks drug heist suspects

A court on Tuesday reduced the bail deposit for four men accused of the Safi Barracks drug heist, after hearing that the original amount was beyond their capabilities.

Sean Attard, 30, of Żebbuġ, Yousef Essesi, 33, of St. Paul’s Bay, and brothers Carlos and Cleaven Pace, ages 23 and 19, of Marsa, were granted bail in June but remained behind bars as they were unable to raise the €30,000 deposit originally imposed.

The men were arrested shortly after the February break-in at the Armed Forces of Malta’s Safi barracks, during which some 132kg of cannabis resin, part of a consignment seized months earlier at the Malta Freeport, was stolen from a guarded container.

The four deny charges of aggravated theft, criminal association for drug trafficking purposes, and possession of cannabis in circumstances indicating it was not for personal use. Carlos Pace is also accused of breaching bail and a suspended sentence from separate cases.

Lawyer Kevin Valletta insisted the €30,000 figure was not arbitrary and reflected the seriousness of the charges. However, lawyer Amadeus Cachia, appearing for Essesi, said his client could manage no more than €10,000.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Magistrate Elaine Rizzo lowered the deposit to €20,000 and increased the personal guarantee from €40,000 to €50,000. The accused must continue keeping a curfew and signing the bail book daily. The prosecution also requested that a third-party guarantor be appointed.

A day prior, Inspector Joseph Mercieca confirmed under cross-examination that the case against co-accused Christa Gauci, Cleaven Pace’s girlfriend, rested largely on CCTV footage of her car and mobile phone data placing her near the scene. Gauci told the police that she was with Pace that night. Debono argued that her statement could not be used as evidence against him.

Court expert Godwin Sammut also testified, confirming the THC purity of the seized cannabis. Questioned by Debono, he said the university laboratory conducting the analysis was still in the process of obtaining accreditation, though there was no legal requirement to do so. Debono indicated the defence may request an independent lab analysis, citing repeated delays in accreditation.

The prosecution was lead by AG lawyers Maria Francesca Spiteri and Kevin Valletta, assisted by Inspectors Mark Anthony Mercieca, Alfredo Mangion and Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa.

Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, Charles Mercieca and Adriana Zammit represented the Pace brothers, while Debono and Matthew Xuereb appeared for Attard. Essesi was assisted by Amadeus Cachia and Mario Mifsud.