Niece of Marsa murder victim, charged with drug trafficking

Two Libyan nationals and a Maltese couple were arraigned in court and separately charged with possession and trafficking of over 200 grammes of heroin.

Inspector Pierre Grech told Magistrate Neville Camilleri that Libyan nationals Bashir Ali Mohammed Esgayeir, 32, and Nabil Farhar Koiuja, 33, were arrested in Marsa carrying a luggage with 200g of heroin, packed in capsules ready for trafficking. Both the accused pleaded guilty.

The Maltese couple, Marco Belli of Marsa, 32, and Michelle Vella, 30, were driving another car. Bother were charged with association to traffic drugs, while Belli was also charged with possession of heroin.

Vella, who is currently pregnant, was identified as the niece of Paul Degabriele 'is-Suldat', who was last week murdered in Marsa in a revenge killing by a rival drugs gang.

The couple, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, asked the court to exempt their social benefits from a freeze on their assets so that they could have a form of income for their children.

Despite the Libyan nationals' guilty plea, Magistrate Neville Camilleri could not hand out a sentence as the charges were drawn as a preliminary step to a compilation of evidence and a subsequent trial by jury. The two Libyans were remanded in custody as they have no fixed address in Malta, and the Maltese couple were granted bail against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €5,000 each.

Dr Joe Giglio appeared for the Maltese couple, while legal aid Dr Yana Micallef Stafrace appeared for the Libyan nationals.