Gozitan to be indicted over 15kg cocaine smuggling attempt

Joseph Rodney Grima, the 23-year-old Gozitan youth accused of smuggling 15kg of cocaine on the ferry from Sicily last week, is to be indicted for drug trafficking.


Magistrate Neville Camilleri has decreed this afternoon that the court had been shown sufficient prima facie evidence to allow the Attorney General to proceed with filing a bill of indictment.

This afternoon, the two customs officials who had assisted Scene of Crime Officers in retrieving the 36 packets of cocaine from the white Mercedes' fuel tanks testified.

“We went to the Motor Transport garage and assisted in a search of a white Mercedes, by using fibre optics. When we took out the rear seats we saw the diesel inspection boxes. As soon as we opened them we saw the packets.”

36 packets were recovered from the fuel tank by SOCO, he said. The witnesses confirmed that a police sergeant, the car's owner Carmel Polidano and Joseph Rodney Grima were present during the search. Police had carefully opened one of the packets tested it for cocaine, he said. The test result was positive.

Grima remains under arrest, after his bail was revoked following an appeal by the Attorney General.

Grima's defence team made another application for bail today. Lawyer Joe Giglio addressed the court, referring to the Criminal Court's decree, revoking bail. “As the court knows this case started on 24 August when the accused was arraigned under arrest...the prosecution had informed the court that it objected to bail as the two witnesses were going to testify.”

Magistrate Micallef Trigona had put the case off till the 26 to hear these two witnesses, but on that day they were not heard.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona had then granted Grima bail against a deposit of €20,000 and a personal guarantee of €50,000 – a decision which was immediate appealed against by the Attorney General, arguing that the accused could tamper with the evidence.

“The conditions imposed by Magistrate Micallef Trigona were so stringent, as a consequence of the fact that the witnesses had not testified. They have since testified and their testimony recorded...I do not feel the need to have so stringent conditions imposed,” submitted the defence.

“The criminal court tells us that as they have tendered their evidence, there is no further risk of tampering with evidence.”

The ongoing police investigation would not be prejudiced by the fact that the accused would have been granted bail, Giglio argued.

Inspector Jonathan Cassar, prosecuting, said that the case is at an early stage. “There may be other people involved. He was arraigned nine days ago. As the Attorney General said, it is too early a stage for bail.”

Magistrate Neville Camilleri decreed that there is sufficient prima facie evidence for a bill of indictment to be issued. He will issue a decree on bail from chambers.

Lawyers Mario Mifsud, Joe Giglio, William Cuschieri and Alfred Abela appeared for the accused.