Man jailed three years, fined €4k for cocaine possession in 2017
Ivan Xuereb was found to be carrying 17 capsules of cocaine with a purity level of 45%
A man was jailed for three years and fined €4,000 after being found in possession of 17 capsules of cocaine with the intent to sell the drug in 2017.
Magistrate Elaine Rizzo found Ivan Xuereb guilty of drug possession with intent to traffic, as well as the possession of a firearm.
The court heard how police stopped a car in which Xuereb was a passenger.
Officers discovered 16 capsules of cocaine in his jacket pocket and another in his jeans pocket. It was later established that he was carrying a total of 171.61g of cocaine with a purity level of 45%.
During a search of his residence, police also found an unregistered pistol.
Throughout the proceedings, Xuereb insisted that he did not intend to sell the drugs, claiming instead that he was acting as a drug mule in exchange for a €500 payment.
The court also heard that he struggled with cocaine addiction, which he said began through contacts he made at his tattoo parlour.
He eventually sold the business to sustain his habit.
During that period, he relied on financial support from his grandmother and two aunts, spending hundreds of euros to fund his addiction.
However, the magistrate was not convinced that his role was limited to that of a drug mule. She noted that, in 2017, a purity level of 45% was considered high for street-level cocaine.
She also remarked on the growing problem of cocaine abuse.
While acknowledging that Xuereb had cooperated with the police and that the case dated back nine years, the court ruled that a jail term was appropriate.