A suspected drug trafficker who was granted bail following his extradition to Malta in 2018, was remanded in custody on Sunday after fresh drug charges.

Sicilian-born Rosario Caruso, 48, pleaded not guilty to procuring cocaine and possessing the drug under circumstances denoting that it was not intended for his personal use.

He was also charged with breaching bail conditions.

Caruso was arrested at a residence on Triq Sir Charles Cameron following  surveillance by the police.

Some 20 cocaine-filled sachets and around €3,000 in cash were seized.

Back in 2014 Caruso had been arrested and charged after being caught with more than six kilograms of cannabis at the airport.

He was subsequently granted bail but had absconded  and was brought back to Malta in 2018 on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant, after Spanish police tracked him down in Tenerife.

While criminal proceedings continued, he was once again granted bail.

During his arraignment on Sunday, defence lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri made a fresh bid for bail, arguing that the accused was still to be presumed innocent at this stage.

But the request was strongly objected to by the prosecution who made reference to Caruso’s alleged breach of previous bail conditions as well as his escape from the island.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech declared that the accused was not deemed sufficiently trustworthy and denied bail.

Inspector Jonathan Ransley prosecuted.