Man cleared of ecstasy trafficking, 16 years after arrest
Accused found guilty of drug possession but court spares him jail
A man who was charged with trafficking ecstasy 16 years ago has been found not guilty of the crime.
Glenn Bezzina was 27 years old when he was charged in 2009 with trafficking ecstasy, possessing it in quantities indicating it was not for his personal use and simple possession of cocaine.
When Bezzina was arrested, the police searched him and his home, where they found 65 ecstasy pills and around one gram of cocaine.
A court presided over by Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo has now concluded that Bezzina, who is now 43, was guilty of possessing ecstasy and cocaine but not guilty of the more serious drug trafficking charges.
The judgment was handed down by a drug court, whose role is to focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
The magistrate noted that Bezzina had been caught with a "not insignificant" number of ecstasy pills but also suffered a drug addiction problem at the time.
He has since rehabilitated himself, it said, and has been on the right track for a good amount of time. As part of drug court proceedings, accused people undergo urine tests to ensure they are clean of drugs.
The court recognised that the drug rehabilitation board was satisfied with Bezzina's rehabilitation.
It therefore sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, as well as a €1,500 fine and €590.42 for court expenses.
Defence lawyers Jason Grima and Kirsty Muscat represented the accused.