Man jailed, fined for drug trafficking

Richard Borg, 26, of Birkirkara was yesterday jailed for five years after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, among other charges.

Borg was meant to face trial by jury on Monday but admitted to the charges at the start of the trial.

He was also fined Lm2,000, was ordered to pay about Lm400 in court fees and had both his movable and immovable property confiscated.

Mr Justice Patrick Vella said the court had applied the minimum sentence in such cases for a number of reasons, among them the fact that the accused had admitted the charges at an early stage, he had collaborated with the police and also had a clean conduct sheet.

Borg, the court said, had followed and successfully completed a one-year residential drug rehabilitation course by Sedqa. The court noted the accused had had a difficult childhood.

The court also noted that while following the Sedqa course and according to his current employers, Borg was a role model for other persons who had been drug addicts.

Mr Justice Vella ordered that the time Borg spent in custody be deducted from the jail term.

The bill of indictment brought against him said that the police had a reasonable suspicion that Borg was involved in drug trafficking and that on May 9, 1999, he was stopped on his way home.

Following a search by Inspector Neil Harrison, he was found in possession of Lm1,500 in cash and a mobile phone.

Subsequently, Borg`s house was searched and the police found about 50 grams of heroin, 60 grams of cocaine, some cannabis resin, an electronic scales and other items used for drug trafficking.

A shotgun and ammunition without a licence and counterfeit local and foreign currency were also found.

The police had noted that the electricity meter was blocked by a piece of cardboard which turned out to be a card issued by the hospital`s outpatients department with Borg`s name on it .

Dr Mark Said prosecuted.

Dr Manwel Mallia and Dr Giannella Caruana Curran were defence counsel.