Man jailed for 10 years for trafficking in cannabis

A 42-year-old man from Sliema was this morning jailed for 10 years and fined €24,000 after admitting before standing trial for trafficking in cannabis.

Jeremy Ciantar was meant to face trail by jury today.

Together with two other men, Ciantar was caught in October 2008 in a car parked near the Salesians Oratory in Sliema. 24 blocks of cannabis weighing over 7.5kg were found in his possession.

The other two men were 70-year-old Francis Bonnett from Sliema and Kevin Gatt, 38, of B'Kara.

Earlier that night Ciantar and Gatt had called at Bonnett's residence and gave him a paper bag containing €16,000 in cash. Ciantar had acted as the middleman after Gatt wanted to purchase 25 blocks of cannabis worth €700 per piece.

For stringing the deal Ciantar was promised €470.

The accused was arraigned in court and granted bail, however he absconded to Holland. The Maltese authorities requested the help of their Dutch counterparts and Ciantar was stopped at the Amsterdam Airport before boarding a flight for Thailand.

He was surrendered to Malta in 2011 and again granted bail.

Five years after his arrest, Ciantar chose to plead guilty to the charges instead of facing trial by jury.

Lawyer Elaine Mercieca Rizzo appeared on behalf of the Attorney General while Franco Debono was defence counsel.