Qormi drug trafficker jailed for eight months

Early admission and cooperation with police result in comparatively light sentence

A 30-year-old man from Qormi has been jailed for eight months and fined €900 after he admitted to having trafficked ecstasy and cocaine in 2008.

Neil Camilleri was arrested on 1 January 2008 at Lines Bar in Paceville and found to be in possession of twelve ecstasy pills and a bag of cocaine at the time.

Camilleri had released a statement admitting to trafficking ecstasy and cocaine after his interrogation by police. The court noted that in spite of this declaration being made without a lawyer being present, it was admissible.

The practice was legal at the time and in this case the court felt as the accused, aged 22 at the time, was not vulnerable to intimidation. Indeed, it was alleged that the accused had previous convictions for falsification of documents and use of false documents

In his statement, the accused had admitted to selling five pills in Ħamrun in the afternoon and three more upon his arrival at the bar. In addition, he said that he had been keeping nine more pills for another person from whom he had already been paid and a further three pills for a third party, from whom he was yet to receive payment.

He had told the police that he would buy the ecstasy pills for Lm3 each and sell them for Lm5. With regards to the cocaine, Camilleri explained that he would buy cocaine for Lm25 per gram and sell it for Lm30 per gram. He said the he had been dealing drugs for around two months at the time of his arrest.

In her judgment, magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras noted that the man had since “completely reformed,” citing a report by his probation officer in which the officer explained that Camilleri’s criminal activities had been short-lived and that he had actively sought assistance from Sedqa to overcome his drug addiction.

Camilleri “had held down a stable, full-time job since the age of sixteen and appeared to be a hardworking young man”, read the report.

Taking into account his early admission and the report’s recommendation that he receive the minimum punishment at law, the court found Camilleri guilty of cocaine and ecstasy trafficking and handed down an eight-month custodial sentence, also fining him €900.

As no evidence of previous convictions had been exhibited before however, the court cleared Camilleri of relapsing.