‘Leli l-Bully’ gets 11 years for coordinating drug deal from prison

Emanuel Camilleri, perhaps known better by his nom de guerre Leli l-Bully, will be spending an additional 11 years behind bars after admitting to having coordinated a substantial drug deal from his prison cell: he is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for the attempted murder of a police inspector.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima jailed Camilleri for 11 years and fined him €20,000 after he pleaded guilty to coordinating the delivery of a “substantial amount” of cocaine and cannabis in 2001, right before his trial by jury was due to start.

Camilleri is currently serving a 35-year sentence for planting a bomb outside the residence of Police Commissioner Michael Cassar, then a Drug Squad inspector, and of trying to murder the officer and his family on May 23, 1995.

Investigations into a plan, coordinated from Corradino prison, for the delivery of a substantial amount of drugs led police to make several arrests, including that of Camilleri and his brother.

It was revealed that Camilleri’s brother had received instructions from the accused over the phone, transferring a large sum of money to another person, in full knowledge that this was payment for the drugs. The brothers were arrested when the police swooped in on the delivery.

In the sentence, handed down by the criminal court yesterday, the judge highlighted that Camilleri could have been jailed for life for coordinating the delivery of the drugs from the Netherlands.

However, after taking into account the early guilty plea and his cooperation with police investigations – which led to the successful identification and disruption of the criminal organisation – the judge held that a more lenient sentence was in order. The accused was also afforded a substantial reduction in punishment due to his admission before the case reached the jury stage.

Camilleri’s fixed and liquid assets were confiscated in favour of the government of Malta.

In total, 19 people had been charged in 2002 with conspiring to deal in four kilogrammes of cocaine and one kilogramme of cannabis including Camilleri, Mario Camilleri 'l-Imniehru', Charles Muscat 'il-Pips', and Alfred Bugeja 'il-Porporina'.