Three people charged in connection with a drug raid in Żabbar were granted bail on Sunday, after pleading not guilty.

A 20-year-old man, as well as two siblings - a 25-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, were arraigned in front of Magistrate Charmaine Galea charged with various offences in relation to drug possession and trafficking.

The three were charged separately and, due to ongoing investigations, the court imposed a ban on the publication of their names as well as the address at which the raid took place.

The first man, a 20-year-old waiter from Żabbar, was accused of selling or trafficking cannabis, cannabis possession in amounts that indicated it was not for his personal use, as well as possession of cannabis resin and cocaine.

Prosecuting inspector Marshall Mallia told the court that the police anti-drug squad as well as district police executed a search warrant in a Żabbar residence on suspicions of drug trafficking.

They found in the accused’s possession 13 cannabis plants, digital scales, some 440 grams of cannabis grass, eight grams of cannabis resin and eight grams of cocaine.

Making a request for bail, defence lawyer Franco Debono said that the accused had a clean conduct and that his girlfriend’s grandmother was willing to take him in, providing him with an alternative address where he could reside during proceedings.

Debono said that, in light of the fact that growing and consuming cannabis is legal, the accused had explained to the police what was his from the confiscated materials and what was not.

“There were other people living in this house and he assumed responsibility for what was his and explained this to the police,” he said.

“Aside from the fact that we have huge reservations about the trafficking charges, we ask the court to consider that he was forthcoming with the police, he has two jobs and leads a stable life.”

Debono continued that even if the accused was found guilty of the charges, they merited him to go to drug court rather than through the criminal court.

The prosecution also made a request for a freezing order on the accused’s assets, which the court accepted.

The magistrate granted the request for bail against a deposit of €5,000 and a personal guarantee of €30,000 and ordered the accused to sign the bail book three times a week and observe a curfew between 11pm and 6am.

Lawyer Francesca Zarb also appeared for the accused. Inspector Kurt Farrugia and John Leigh Howard were also part of the prosecution.

Siblings charged with possession

The siblings were charged with possession after the police found drugs at a separate address in Żabbar.

The 25-year-old-man, who works with an air conditioning company, was charged with cannabis possession in amounts that indicated it was not for his personal use, as well as relapsing and committing a crime while serving a suspended sentence.

The prosecution said that during a raid on the man’s residence, the police found a bag containting “a substantial amount” of cannabis grass, which was later determined to weigh around 80 grams.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Defence lawyer Jacob Magri made a request to the court asking for a medical expert to be appointed to determine whether his client had been under the influence of cannabis when he gave his initial statement to the police, which may have impaired his judgement and led to him incriminating himself, he said.

The prosecution objected to the request, saying that not only did the accused not incriminate himself in his statement to the police, but that he had been accompanied by his lawyer when he gave a statement and at no point had she objected to anything that he had said. A similar request had been received by the police some 24 hours after the accused had already been arrested and given his statement, they said.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea ordered that the inquiring magistrate be informed of this request and said that direction on this request should be given by the inquiring magistrate.

The accused was granted bail against a deposit of €3,000 and a personal guarantee of €20,000. He was ordered to sign the bail book three times a week and not to approach prosecution witnesses.

Lawyer Francesca Zarb also appeared for the accused. The case was prosecuted by Inspectors Mark Cremona and Marshall Mallia.

The man's younger sister was also arraigned on Sunday and charged with possession of MDMA and psychiatric medication.

The prosecution said the woman had arrived on the premises while the raid on the Żabbar property was ongoing.

During a search of her room, the police discovered 10 capsules of MDMA in the pocket of a jacket that was in her wardrobe.

The haul weighed some 100 grams, with the 10 capsules weighing some 10 grams each.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In a request for bail, lawyer Franco Debono said the accused had a clean criminal conduct and is a mother to two very young children. She maintains a stable job as a clerk and her parents were willing to support her during the proceedings.

“She is willing to observe bail conditions, even supervision, she has a support system and people who are ready to make guarantees for her,” he said.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea granted the woman bail against a €3,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €20,000. She was ordered to sign the bail book three times a week and to not approach prosecution witnesses.

Lawyer Francesca Zarb also appeared for the accused. Inspectors Mark Cremona and Marshall Mallia prosecuted.