Man, 37, charged with drug trafficking in St. Paul's bay bar

A 37-year-old man from Sierra Leone, has been granted bail after being arrested and charged with trafficking cannabis resin. The man had been arrested after police were tipped off that someone was selling drugs in a bar in Triq il-Hgejjeg, St Paul’s Bay.

Police inspector Maurice Curmi, prosecuting, told a court that Awal Mohammed was arrested after being seen throwing a cigarette packet on to the billiards table when the police entered the bar. That packet was found to contain 17 individually wrapped sticks of cannabis resin, weighing approximately a gram each.

Mohammed appeared slightly the worse for wear as he was arraigned before magistrate Gabriella Vella this morning. Unable to stay on his feet in the dock, he spent the majority of the hearing seated and staring fixedly into the distance, bearing an expression of tired bewilderment.

Legal aid lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace informed the court that the accused only had €400 at his disposal which he could provide for bail, and that was only because his friends were willing to pool in.

Mohammed, who is a legal resident of Malta and lives in St. Paul's Bay, was granted bail against a deposit of €400 and a personal guarantee of €8,000. The court ordered the man not to approach any witnesses or leave the island, as well as sign a bail book three times a week and observe a curfew.