Two remanded in custody over cannabis drug bust

Two men were this afternoon remanded in custody after they pleaded not guilty to trafficking and being in possession of cocaine and cannabis.

Brian Godfrey Bartolo, 41, of Bugibba, and Trevor Borg, 30, of Cospicua, also denied to conspiring to commit a crime, to relapsing, and to breaching bail conditions.

The court heard that after several weeks of investigations, the police caught the men trafficking drugs red-handed. Sources close to the investigation said that on Monday, police were observing the two men in St Paul’s Bay, and saw Bartolo selling 100 grams of cannabis to Borg.

Informed sources said that after conducting a search, Bartolo was found to be in possession of one kilogram of cannabis, denoting that it was not for his personal use.

Standing before Magistrate Carol Peralta, Bartolo – who the court heard is well known to the police – pleaded not guilty to a total of 14 charges, which included trafficking of heroin and cannabis, and of being in possession of cannabis, cocaine and heroin.

On his part, Bartolo’s partner in crime Trevor Borg pleaded not guilty to trafficking cannabis, cocaine and heroin, to breaching bail conditions, and to relapsing.

The two men were denied bail and were consequently remanded in custody.

In 2011, Bartolo was charged with being in possession of 65 grams of cocaine after police had carried out a raid at his apartment. Moreover, Bartolo had been previously jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to drug importation charges.

Inspector Gabriel Micallef prosecuted, while Lawyer Daniela Mangion appeared for Bartolo.