A Colombian man alleged to have chopped up a dead man’s body, stuffed the parts into a suitcase and then dumped it at sea pleaded not guilty to criminal charges on Saturday.

Andres Leonardo Gamboa Duran, 43, from Cucuta, Colombia, appeared in court shortly after police held a press conference to inform the public that they would not be charging the accused with murder for the time being.

Instead, prosecutors opted to cite him for aggravated drug possession and trafficking, profiting from illicit proceeds, money laundering, tampering with criminal evidence and trying to conceal a body that died as a result of a criminal offence.  

Appearing in court wearing a white hoodie emblazoned with the slogan ‘Gang Signs’, Duran was assisted in court by an interpreter.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges before Magistrate Marse Ann Farrugia.

Duran, who lives in Msida, was arrested earlier this week following a nationwide manhunt for the person responsible for a gruesome discovery made inside a suitcase found floating off Gżira.

Suitcase found by children on paddle boat

The suitcase was initially spotted by two minors out on a paddle boat who hauled it back to shore, police inspector Wayne Camilleri told the court.

Once back on land, they informed two adults, who opened the suitcase themselves. When they realised they were looking at a dismembered body, they immediately called the police.

The area where the suitcase was brought to shore. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Testifying in court on Saturday, inspector Camilleri said the suitcase was photographed as it was found in Gżira before being closed up and taken to the morgue for further investigation.

Once there, it was reopened in front of the police and court officials.

Suitcase still had pricing sticker on it

An investigation confirmed that the body was of a naked man save for an adult nappy. The man’s dismembered hands and feet had been bundled into plastic bags and stuffed in the suitcase.

The victim had 101 capsules of cocaine inside his stomach. Police say they believe he was also a Colombian national but have not yet definitively identified him. They say they are still not sure why the cocaine was left there. 

The suitcase still had its pricing sticker attached, and that helped police quickly narrow down the shop where it was purchased – a store in San Ġwann.

CCTV footage extracted from the shop revealed that the person who purchased the suitcase the previous day had also bought an axe from the store.

Investigators then tracked the suspect down to an Msida apartment block. After obtaining an arrest warrant from a magistrate, police moved in.

Inside, they found Duran with a 39-year-old Portuguese man and a lot of drug paraphernalia indicating a trafficking operation. The Portuguese man is to be charged separately, police said earlier on Saturday.

The magistrate upheld a request for a freezing order on Duran’s assests.

No request for bail was made at this stage and Duran was remanded in custody.

Police inspectors Kurt Colombo Zahra and Wayne Camilleri together with AG lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Dejan Darmanin prosecuted.

Lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant assisted the accused as legal aid.