Man charged with heroin trafficking, money laundering, computer misuse
45-year-old who was also in possession of a weapon without a licence was remanded in custody
A 45-year-old man charged with trafficking heroin, owning a weapon without a licence and money laundering among others, has been remanded in custody.
Mario Caruana, from Żejtun, appeared before magistrate Monica Vella and was also accused of criminal association, computer misuse and of having cocaine in his possession in circumstances that denoted it was not for personal use.
The man, who is unemployed, was further charged with committing these crimes within 100 metres of a place where youths habitually meet.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
Police inspector Gabria Gatt told the court that the man had asked lawyer Roberto Montalto to assist him during the interrogation.
However, the lawyer renounced the brief before the man was arraigned on Thursday.
The court appointed a legal aid lawyer to assist the man.
The court asked whether the charges had been read, with the defence requesting that the charges be read out in court.
AG lawyer Julian Scicluna then took the stand and read out a five-page chargesheet.
The police inspector explained that the police had been gathering information on the accused, who was allegedly trafficking drugs from his home. He was also placed under surveillance.
On Wednesday, the police moved in and arrested him. They found four sachets believed to contain heroin on him during the search. An undisclosed amount of cash running into thousands was also found inside his home.
An inquiry was opened into the case. The investigations are still ongoing.
Legal aid lawyer Nadya Fiott requested bail.
Scicluna objected to the request, underlining that the man was unemployed and had a drug addiction issue.
Moreover, he was not trustworthy and could not guarantee that he would abide by the court-imposed conditions.
The prosecution also highlighted that the man would continue to reside at the house from where he allegedly trafficked drugs.
The prosecutor added that the investigations were still at an early stage and they were trying to establish whether there were others involved.
Fiott observed that her client has a medical condition and needed to make use of a breathing machine at night.
“The man slept at the police lock-up all right, and the breathing machine was used. We also brought it here and he can use it while in custody,” Gatt observed.
A freezing order was issued at the request of the prosecution.
Bail was denied.
Magistrate Monica Vella presided over the court.
Lawyers Julian Scicluna and Nadia Ciappara prosecuted on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office, alongside police inspector Gabria Gatt.
Legal aid lawyer Nadya Fiott assisted the accused.