Woman jailed, fined for importing heroin

Anna Spiteri, 47 of Marsa, has been jailed for 17 years and fined €37,000 by the Criminal Court after a jury convicted her of importing 3.5 kilos of heroin, from Tunis in 2008. Malta on a flight from Tunis.

Jurors returned a 7/2 guilty verdict last night and had also asked for clemency.

Judge Lawrence Quintano, sentenced Spiteri and ordered she be immediately transferred to Corradino Correctional Facility.

Spiteri had pleaded not guilty to importing around 3.5kgs of heroin from Tunisia after the drugs were found in laptop cases stored inside her luggage case.

On her arrival to Malta, Spiteri was to pass on the luggage to two men who were waiting for her in the Arrivals terminal, identified as Mohamed Ahmed Margash, and Isaam Abdulmawla M. Zbeda.

Giving evidence on Wednesday Anna Spiteri said that she had no idea what was inside the bag since it had been packed by her boyfriend Nagi Al Margash who used to pay for her trips to Tunisia and her time there with him in a hotel.

Prosecutor Leonard Caruana argued how Spiteri could consider it normal that a man should pay for all these expenses for her company, if he could equally enjoy her company in Malta.

Spiteri argued that she had never suspected that he might be related to drugs even though she started getting suspicious on the last two trips to Tunisia and took his passport number as some form of security.

Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud appeared for the Spiteri.