Man accused of selling ‘cocktail of drugs’ to clients

Ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and cannabis are among the drugs that a 23-year-old man is being accused of trafficking.

Gustav Daniel Harila, a 23-year-old Swiss man with a Swedish passport, appeared in court on Friday facing a plethora of drug offence charges. He was accused of trafficking and possessing drugs deemed to be not for personal use.

Investigations began on 14 June when police carried out searches in residences in Swieqi and San Ġwann. The accused was renting an apartment in Swieqi.

Several illegal drugs, including ketamine, ecstasy, cannabis, cannabis resin and cocaine were discovered. Four people were arrested, two were arraigned and two were summoned to court. The people previously arrested said that Harila was the one supplying them with the drugs.

The man entered the courtroom in a wheelchair due to a leg injury suffered in a separate incident in St Julian’s. He was arrested on Thursday afternoon at Mater Dei Hospital.

The defence requested bail. Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca objected due to the serious nature of the charges. They said that even though Harila has lived in Malta for a few years, he was unemployed and had no fixed address during this time.

“Several civilians have yet to testify against him and thus the fear of him tampering with evidence is concerning. The accused also has an acute addiction to drugs which surely won’t help him in staying afar from committing any other crimes,” Mercieca said.

Defence lawyer Roberto Spiteri rebutted that the offences are indeed serious, but the man was brought to court by summons so clearly they were not the most serious accusations that one could face. This needs to be considered by court, the lawyer argued.

Spiteri also said that the investigation had began over a month ago, so the police had ample time to investigate. He further noted that the accused’s parents, who were present in the courtroom, were committed to helping him find a place to live and with anything else he might need. The defence further argued that bail has been upheld in much more serious cases.

Attorney General lawyer Nadia Ciappara responded that the “cocktail of drugs” found could have easily made it into the local market. “I have a young boy at home, so I wish that by the time he’s older, this rubbish will be gone from this country,” she said.

She added that the accused is completely unreliable as police attempted to arrest him but could not find him anywhere. “He knew we were looking, but he still did not cooperate. The quantities are also not minimal: about 200g of ketamine, 400 ecstasy pills, 150g of cannabis resin, 100g of cannabis grass and more.”

However, Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia denied the bail request and he was remanded in custody.

The court also ordered a freezing order on his assets.

Attorney General lawyers Nadia Ciappara, Ylenia Abela and Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca prosecuted.

Defence lawyer Roberto Spiteri appeared for the man.