A man arrested five years ago in a Sliema raid that netted 25 kilos of cannabis has been jailed for 18 years and fined €38,000.

Catania-born Davide Bonanno was found guilty of criminal association and aggravated possession with six votes against three in a trial-by-jury that had started on Monday.

The same jury - again six to three votes - found him not guilty of importing the drug.

During the trial, presided by Mr Justice Aaron Bugeja, the Attorney General claimed Bonanno imported the cannabis grass from Sicily.

The case dates to a tip-off in September of 2018, which alerted the police to a cargo of food and other items that was being transported on a trailer from Sicily.

The trailer was driven to a Siġġiewi garage belonging to the haulier who was not aware of the illegal contents.

A couple of days later, on October 1, a controlled delivery was effected and the drug, hidden in packets of tissue paper, was transferred to a garage in Matthew Pulis Street, Sliema, where two other Italian men helped Bonanno move the merchandise into the premises.

Neither of those two had any idea that the pallet marked as “merce alimentare” (foodstuffs) actually contained drugs.

Bonanno accepted the consignment and was subsequently arrested.

The drug was later certified as cannabis grass with a purity of 7% and a market value that ranged between €250,000 and €700,000.

AG lawyers Kevin Valletta and Andrea Zammit prosecuted.

Simon Micallef Stafrace was legal aid counsel.