A 29-year-old from Pembroke has been jailed for three years and six months and fined €4,000 after being found guilty of being in possession of 595 ecstasy pills.

The police found the pills in an envelope.

From the evidence tendered in court, it resulted that the police were informed of a drug deal about to take place on January, 28, 2003, at a hotel in St Julian's.

They found the accused in possession of the pills. The accused later took part in a controlled delivery.

In his testimony, the accused said that he knew one of the men arrested in the drugs bust, Glen Gorman, and had known him for some 15 years. He had rented his flat to Mr Gorman and it was during this period that the latter began keeping drugs at the flat.

When he tried to get Mr Gorman to remove the drugs he was threatened by him. Following this he was told by Mr Gorman to pick up a plastic bag from  Australia Hall in Pembroke and take it to the hotel.

He said that he followed instructions by Mr Gorman in order to get him off his back, especially since he suffered from depression and even ended up in Mount Carmel after trying to kill himself. He said that Mr Gorman had also refused to give him back the keys to his flat.

(Mr Gorman was tried on drugs charges in 2010 and found not guilty)

Magistrate Neville Camilleri found the accused guilty of being in possession of the pills in circumstances which denoted they were not for his exclusive use.

September 26, 2022: Article edited following a data privacy request. Please contact editor@timesofmalta.com for more information.