Zurrieq man jailed for 2001 drug bust

Joseph Camilleri, 44, of Zurrieq, has been jailed for 18 months and fined €1,000 after he was found guilty of being in possession of cocaine and cannabis in circumstances that indicated it was not for his personal use.

In a sentence delivered earlier this week, magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera declared that while the court had been made aware that the accused had changed his ways and had overcome his drug addiction, the court could not ignore the serious nature of the charges of which Camilleri was found guilty.

The case dates back to May 2001, when police officers had carried out a search of Camilleri's residence after having staked it out for some time, finding the drugs.

A number of police officers had testified.

Just as the officers were entering the house, Camilleri had been observed picking up a sachet and throwing it out of the balcony. It was recovered from the street below and later found to contain cocaine.

Inspector Josric Mifsud prosecuted.