Man caught with 5kg of cannabis at airport denied bail

Accused also charged with importing cocaine and other drugs

(File photo)
(File photo)

A man accused on having imported 5kg of cannabis has been denied bail today, after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Portuguese national Pedro Henrique Correa de Sousa, 36, was also accused of importing cocaine, under circumstances which denoted it wasn’t for his personal use, and other restricted drugs.

Correa de Sousa was caught at customs after after arriving from Madrid on Thursday, after a sniffer dog sensed the presence of drugs.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, remanded the man in custody, on the basis of the accused’s lack of ties to Malta. It also accepted the prosecution’s request for the freezing of his assets, despite the defence’s objections.

During the course of the court arraignment, the magistrate brought to the attention of the Attorney General, the Justice Minster and Finance Minister that the law criminal code and the law concerning drugs still made reference to the Registrar of Courts, and not to the director of the Asset Recovery Bureau - despite the bureau having been given, in August, the power to confiscate and sell the proceeds of criminal activity.

The magistrate said that, in light of the setting up of the bureau in 2015, and the new vast powers given to it this summer, the law had to be amended to reflect the changes in administrative responsibility.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were defence counsel to the accused.

Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone prosecuted.