Jury finds man guilty of cocaine trafficking 19 years ago
Accused was first charged with crime in September 2007
A man charged in connection with a haul of almost 2kg of cocaine has been found guilty by a jury, almost 20 years after his crime.
Gordian Azuogu Ohaegbu was convicted by a jury of having conspired to traffic and deal cocaine, supplying the drug and being in aggravated possession of it.
A jury returned a 7-2 guilty verdict on all three counts on Saturday, following a five day trial that began on Monday.
The accused will be sentenced by a court at a later date.
Ohaegbu, a Maltese man of Nigerian origin, was targeted for prosecution after police seized 955g of cocaine from a St Julian’s apartment and a further 789g of the drug from a man who had just landed in Malta following a flight from London.
The first seizure took place in February 2007, with the second occurring a month later.
Police established in both cases that the drugs were due to be delivered to Ohaegbu, who was arrested and arraigned in September 2007.
The trial by jury was presided by Judge Natasha Galea Sciberras.
Attorney General lawyers Kevin Valletta and Dejan Darmanin prosecuted the case, with lawyers Veronique Dalli and Edward Gatt assisting the accused.