A suspect drug trafficker spotted by police officers in Paceville was remanded in custody following his arraignment on Thursday.

Ebrahim Baba Mass, a 23-year-old Senegalese national living in St Paul’s Bay, was arrested on Wednesday after his behaviour sparked the suspicion of police officers carrying out inspections in the vicinity of Hugo’s Terrace. 

A personal search yielded 27 packets of cannabis grass, 14 ecstasy pills, cannabis resin, a cocaine-filled sachet and an undisclosed amount of cash. 

The suspect was arrested and escorted to court on Thursday, charged with supplying and distributing dangerous drugs, dealing in cannabis grass and cannabis resin, as well as possessing drugs under circumstances denoting they were not intended for personal use. 

He was also charged with simple possession of cannabis grass.

The charges were aggravated by the fact that they took place within 100 metres of a place where young people habitually met, the charge sheet read.

The man pleaded not guilty but no request for bail was made at arraignment stage.

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, remanded the accused in custody, while proceedings are assigned to another magistrate in terms of law. 

Inspector Justine Grech prosecuted. Lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar was legal aid counsel.