Man jailed for six months, fined €700 for cannabis possession

A 41-year-old man from Sudan was this morning jailed for six-and-a-half months and fined €700 after pleading guilty to being in possession of 3.5 grams of cannabis at his house.

Peter George also admitted that the drugs were not for his exclusive use.

The incident occurred on 5 August, when police discovered five sachets of cannabis in the accused’s room in Triq Mons Innocenz Zammit, Msida.

The sachets had a purity of 6.5% and weighed between 0.55 grams and 0.81 grams.

George was also found to be in possession of €150 in cash, but the court held that there was not enough evidence to prove that he had in fact sold drugs.

The court, presided by Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, noted that despite admitting to the charges, the guilty plea was registered at a late stage, and consequently the punishment should not be mitigated.

Moreover, the court noted that the accused admitted that the drugs were not for his exclusive use and that he has a clean criminal record.

Consequently, the court jailed the man for six-and-a-half months, fined him €700 and ordered him to pay €580 in court fees.

Lawyer Joseph Mizzi was legal aid, while Inspector Gabriel Micallef prosecuted.