A man who admitted in court to drug trafficking instead of undergoing a trial by jury was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined €23,000.

Andre Francois Buhagiar, 35, admitted before Madam Justice Edwina Grima that he trafficked cocaine from a number of locations around the island, including from his residence in Luqa.

In his home, the police found 29 grams of cocaine that, when sold on the streets, could fetch a sum of up to €3,023.

The accused was due to undergo a trial by jury but admitted to the charges.

He was arraigned back in 2012 by Inspectors Robert Vella and Elton Taliana.