Over 80 cocaine capsules found in hotel room soffit, court told

A court has been told how police found 88 capsules of cocaine hidden in the soffit of a hotel room in Sliema as it hears evidence against a French man accused of trafficking it.

The compilation of evidence against Gerson Abiaka, who was arraigned under arrest earlier this week and charged with trafficking 1.2kg of cocaine after a police tip-off, continued before magistrate Neville Camilleri this morning. 

Abiaka, 33, from Saint Laurent Du Maroni in France, is alleged to have hidden 88 capsules of cocaine behind the soffit of his hotel room bathroom. 

Prosecuting police inspector Kevin Pulis told magistrate Neville Camilleri how the police had received information suggesting that Abiaka had drugs in his hotel room. A search warrant was issued and police were instructed to carry out surveillance of the hotel. 

Officers then entered his room and, after identifying themselves, carried out a search. Inside the soffit of the bathroom, a black plastic bag with 88 capsules of cocaine were found. The accused had been carrying €125 in cash on his person, said the inspector.

Abiaka had denied knowledge of the drugs and told police that he was in Malta for a short break after having family trouble at home. He had no contact with anyone in Malta, he told the inspector. This was his third visit to the island, he said. 

The court was informed that the man had refused to give police his mobile phone passwords and his fingerprints, at which point he was arrested.

Lawyer Franco Debono asked the inspector Debono asked the inspector whether the drugs were “immediately evident.”

“It was evident that one of the soffit boxes was tampered with. It was displaced. It wasn’t open, it was slightly displaced,” replied the inspector, confirming that the accused had been in the room for two days.

“If someone enters the bathroom, it would be impossible to see this packet, “ suggested the lawyer. “The package was hidden, but the soffit was evidently moved,” said Inspector Pulis.

He confirmed that no drug-related paraphernalia were found in the room and that the hotel room had not been monitored before the man’s check-in as the police had no information about the drugs prior to the tip off.

Debono also cross-examined the court expert who had tested the drugs, asking whether he had analysed all the contents of the capsules or a sample of them. The process was to crush a number of capsules, replied the expert.

“All we need is a small amount, less than one gram. The guidelines we follow allow us to use the minimum amount.” Every capsule was tested and the purity was taken as an average from a number of capsules, he said.

One of the arresting officers was next to testify, telling the court how the accused’s knees and hands had started to shake when the drugs were found.

Cross-examined by the defence, the officer confirmed that the soffit had not been photographed before the search was carried out. The panel behind which the drugs were hidden was displaced by just a few millimetres, the witness said.

The case continues on Tuesday.