37-month reminder for forgetful heroin user who left drugs in pocket while paying bail

It doesn't take a particularly astute criminal mind to know that carrying drugs in one's pockets when visiting a court to pay one's bail is not advisable, but that is precisely one of the crimes that earned one man a 37-month stay at Corradino prisons this week.

The criminal genius in question, 35-year-old Ivory coast national Mumen Trabule, had been arrested after police spotted him discarding a capsule of a brown substance, later confirmed to be heroin, during a spot-check outside the Marsa open centre on 7 March last year. 

Trabule was subsequently arraigned before magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras and granted bail after pleading not guilty to being in possession of nearly 18 grammes of heroin - an amount that suggested that it was not solely for his personal use.

The Ivorian was also charged with relapsing and with breaching a previous probation order, which dated back to the previous November. 

He was granted bail.

But Trabule's troubles were far from over. Escorted from Corradino Correctional Facility to court the next day, cannabis was found in his jacket pocket while he was being frisked by security staff. He was rearrested and charged with trying to smuggle drugs into prison.

This did little to help his defence create reasonable doubt as to his guilt on the original charges.



In two sentences handed down earlier this week, Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras sentenced the man to 21 months imprisonment and a fine of €2,000 for aggravated possession of heroin, a further 12 months imprisonment for committing an offence whilst under a probation order and another four months for attempting to transport drugs into prison, bringing his jail term to an eye-watering total of 37 months in prison, although the time Trabule already spent in custody will be deducted.

Inspectors Malcolm Bondin, Gabriel Micallef and Spiridione Zammit prosecuted.

Lawyer Joe Mifsud was defence counsel to the accused.