Man pleads not guilty to importing €300,000 of high purity cocaine in stomach
The man was arrested at the airport carrying around 1kg of the drug in capsules in his stomach
Updated 1.55pm
A man has pleaded not guilty to importing a kilogram of high purity cocaine with a street value of around €300,000.
Stanley Anayo Chukwu Chukwukere, a 53-year-old unemployed Nigerian national, was accused of having imported a kilogram of cocaine to Malta.
He was further accused of being in possession of the drugs in circumstances that denoted it was not for personal use.
Police inspector Jonathan Pace told the court that the accused was arrested on arrival at Malta International Airport after arriving from Brussels on flight KM41, which landed in Malta at 11:55pm on Wednesday.
The police were carrying out a joint exercise with police officers and customs officials at the time, when they noticed Chukwukere, who was wearing a white baseball cap and carrying a small black backpack, acting suspiciously.
The accused was asked to pass his bag through the X-ray machine, which he did.
The police then asked him some preliminary questions but were not satisfied with the answers, the court heard. The police inspector added that the man only had €300 on his possession. He also showed some documents to the police.
A strip search was ordered, but nothing was found. When subsequently asked to sign a consent form agreeing to undergo an X-ray scan, Chukwukere told police he was not carrying anything inside him.
Police found around 100 capsules in the man's stomach. Photo: Malta Police Force.The accused claimed police stopped him because he is Black. The police inspector refuted the claim, pointing out that others had also been stopped.
Pace insisted the man undergo an X-ray over fears he could die if he was carrying capsules and they burst in his stomach.
Sometime after midnight, the man admitted to carrying around 100 capsules. He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he excreted 10 to 20 capsules at a time.
Chukwukere was discharged from hospital and interrogated.
Bail was not requested, and the accused was remanded in custody.
Magistrate Monica Vella presided.
AG lawyer Daniel Tabone prosecuted assisted by police inspector Jonathan Pace.
Legal aid lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant assisted the accused.