Unemployed brothers jailed for drug trafficking

A magistrates court has condemned two “unemployed” brothers to four and a half years prison and fined them €10,000 apiece after finding them guilty of trafficking heroin between 2009 and 2010.

Freddie Delia, 36, and his brother Rodrick, 33, both known as “il-Papaj” were also found guilty of money laundering.

In her judgment, Magistrate Miriam Hayman noted that in spite of living on social benefits of €91.55, the pair drove luxury cars, albeit registered in their father’s and brother’s name. She expressed her disbelief as to how someone living on this miserable amount could afford to buy a BMW Z4 for €24,000 in cash and a Mitsubishi Pajero 4x4.

Inspector Victor Aquilina testified that the Delias were placed under surveillance because while he was investigating another drugs case, he had been told that the drugs were being bought from “a certain Rodrick”.  Several other witnesses also made statements to the police that they would buy their drugs from the same Rodrick.

The police began surveillance operations on the residence of one of these witnesses in the hope of catching the accused. On the first of June 2010, the police saw Rodrick Delia exiting a vehicle in the Bulebel industrial area and handing a packet to a man later identified as Duranovic Coreschi, whom they arrested. Coreschi was found to have swallowed the packet in an attempt to avoid arrest.

During interrogation, Coreschi, too, confirmed that he had bought the drugs from Rodrick for €20.

The prosecution, led by Inspectors Jesmond Borg and Johan Fenech, told the court that Freddie Delia had taunted the police who were surveilling his house, saying that he burned the drugs and they wouldn’t find a thing. The police moved in and arrested them.Traces of cocaine and heroin were indeed found in a pot full of ash found at Delia’s residence.

In delivering the sentence, the magistrate said that she did not have the slightest doubt that the source of the two brothers’ wealth was the drugs trade. She also ordered the confiscation of the vehicles.