Fugitive returns to Malta to face trial for drug smuggling

A man who had been due to face trial for conspiracy to traffic heroin has been traced in Italy and brought to Malta

19 July 2018, 1:00pm
by Matthew Agius

1 min read

Two men escaped from Malta as their jury for conspiracy to traffic heroin was about to begin

A fugitive from justice has been brought to Malta after he was arrested in Italy.

Theophilus Nwadike, 39, from Nigeria had been due to face trial together with fellow countryman Kenneth Duru, 41, on an indictment for conspiracy to traffic what the Commissioner of Police described as “a considerable amount” of heroin in 2010.

But the two men had escaped from Malta as their jury was about to begin.

Assistant Commissioner of police Dennis Theuma told magistrate Audrey Demicoli that Nwadike was finally traced in Italy a month ago after spending over a year on the run.

Duru had been arrested last December and brought to Malta on a similar European Arrest Warrant as his partner in crime.

The men will now face a trial by jury.

Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett was legal aid to Nwadike.

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...