Youth denies cocaine and heroin charges

The teenager was released from arrest despite having previously failed to obey bail conditions

A 19-year-old man has been charged with aggravated possession of cocaine and heroin in circumstances which denoted that they were not for his personal use after drugs were found in his possession by a police roadblock.

Jean Claude Cassar from Kalkara was arraigned under arrest before duty magistrate Rachel Montebello this afternoon, having failed to obey the conditions of his police bail.

The accused and another man had been stopped in a road block last October and found to be carrying heroin and cocaine in packets “ready to sell,” said inspector Eman Hayman. Cassar was charged with aggravated possession of the two substances and simple possession of cannabis resin. He was also charged with breaching bail conditions.

The accused had been granted police bail but had gone on the run said the inspector.

Lawyer Franco Debono, appearing for the accused together with lawyer Amadeus Cachia, entered a plea of not guilty and requested bail.

Bail was not objected to by the prosecution after a fixed address was provided during the sitting.

The accused is currently unemployed and could not afford a large bail deposit, said his lawyer.

The court released the man from arrest against a deposit of €300 and a personal guarantee of €5,000.