Jail, fine for drug trafficking

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano yesterday jailed a woman for one month and fined her Lm70 for drug trafficking after taking into consideration the conditions she was living in.

Maria Concetta Portelli, 36, of Msida, was charged with heroin possession and trafficking.

The court considered that the accused had reported Mark Abdilla, with whom she used to live at the time, to the police and had given the police details about how he purchased drugs and the time he was expected to return home.

The accused had testified that Abdilla used to sell drugs from her apartment and that she lived in fear as he often beat her up and threatened her with a pistol.

She said he used to threaten her and force her to sell drugs herself.

The court noted that other witnesses testified about the scale of fear that gripped the flat where the accused lived and that on one occasion he was at the point of shooting her and was stopped in the nick of time.

The court noted that the fear was such that a witness recounted on one occasion that the accused left the flat naked and his Russian partner gave her a bed sheet with which to cover herself.

The court considered both that the accused helped the police and also the criminal record of her partner. But the court noted that the accused could have opted not to keep living with Abdilla when she realised he was selling drugs.

She was found guilty.

Police Superintendent Neil Harrison prosecuted.

Dr Joseph Giglio appeared for the accused.