Man charged with cannabis trafficking, remanded in custody

A 30-year-old Greek national was arraigned in court on Monday in connection with the alleged possession and trafficking of cannabis, following a police operation linked to a European arrest warrant issued against another man.

Nikolaos Tholiotis, was charged in court with the possession of cannabis in circumstances indicating it was not intended for personal use, trafficking in the drug, and associating with others to sell or traffic cannabis in Malta. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case stems from events on 28 January 2026, when police were executing a European Arrest Warrant against Luis Vogt at a residence under surveillance. Officers said that they had discovered a substantial number of cannabis plants—19 in total—at the property.

In the days leading up to the arrest, and particularly on the night before, police officers observing the residence noticed three individuals, including Tholiotis and Vogt leaving the premises carrying what appeared to be a bag going towards a rented motorcyle. 

After tracking the address of Tholiotis, police went to his residence, in Swatar where Nikolaos cooperated. During a search of the residence, police found the keys to a rented vehicle, which Tholiotis confirmed was leased in his name. He initially told officers that the car was parked in Paceville.

A subsequent search of the vehicle led police to discover a black garbage bag in the boot containing three additional packages. These were seized and later confirmed, following an inquiry, to contain cannabis.

The prosecution was led by Inspector Nico Zarb, assisted by Assistant Attorney General Valentina Cassar. Defence lawyers Matthew Xuereb and Alex Scerri Herrera represented the accused.

During the sitting, the prosecution requested the issuance of a freezing order on the accused’s assets. The defence objected to the request, but after hearing submissions from both sides, the court upheld the prosecution’s request and ordered the freezing of assets.

Tholiotis was remanded in custody. No request for bail was made at this stage.