Man accused of drug possession, trafficking
The accused was intercepted by police in a car park in Qormi
A man was accused of possession and trafficking of a new psychoactive substance, cocaine and cannabis after being intercepted by police in a Qormi car park.
Dale Schembri, 20, from Qormi, denied the charges, which also included alleged money laundering.
During the arraignment, prosecutors told the court that, when arrested on Tuesday evening, Schembri admitted to being in possession of drugs.
The substances allegedly found included cocaine, cannabis and a new psychoactive substance. The prosecutors said the circumstances indicated that the drugs were not solely for personal use.
Schembri was also accused of committing the alleged offences within 100 metres of a place normally frequented by minors, leading to an additional charge.
During the arraignment, Magistrate Ingrid Bianco upheld a defence argument that the arrest was illegal as the accused had not been taken to a police station before being escorted to police headquarters. The case, however, will continue.
A prosecution request for the imposition of a freezing order over Schembri’s assets was upheld.
Schembri was ordered to attend all future sittings, and he must inform the court if he intends to travel abroad while proceedings are ongoing. He was banned from communicating with any witnesses and ordered to sign at the Qormi police station every Monday.
The court imposed a personal guarantee of €6,000.
Lawyer Julian Scicluna from the Attorney General's Office and Inspector Francesco Mizzi prosecuted.
Lawyers Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi appeared for the defence.