A Dutchman who was arrested by the Drugs Squad on Monday after being found in possession of some 1.5 kilos of cocaine in Buġibba, was remanded in custody following his arraignment on Tuesday.

Wilhelm Petronella Franciscus Hendriks, a 54-year old I-gaming employee, pleaded not guilty to the possession of the drug under circumstances which indicated that it was not for his personal use. He was also charged with the possession of cannabis grass.

As the sitting kicked off, defence lawyer Shazoo Ghaznavi informed the court that although his client was pleading not guilty to the charges, the accused was reserving the right to alter his plea in due course.

Taking the witness stand, lead investigator and prosecuting inspector Frank Anthony Tabone said that acting upon confidential information which had reached them a day earlier, the police kicked off a surveillance operation early on Monday morning in Buġibba where the accused was soon spotted riding a motorcycle, carrying a black bag.

Mr Hendriks was stopped and searched, his bag yielding three blocks of white substance, suspected cocaine, weighing approximately one kilo.

The search led investigators to the suspect's apartment in Buġibba, where his wife, daughter and young son also resided.

Mr Hendriks himself produced the keys to a safe inside which were stored another block of cocaine, two small plastic containers with unspecified amounts of the drug and €3,000 in cash.

A small amount of cannabis grass and a grinder were also discovered inside the apartment, with Mr Hendriks later admitting at police headquarters that he had been smoking cannabis for the past 20 years. Small empty plastic sachets had also been found inside the flat, the inspector added.

During interrogation, Mr Hendriks had insisted that he was the only person who held the keys to the safe, which was confiscated and produced in court as evidence, Inspector Tabone continued.

Replying to questions by Dr Ghaznavi, Inspector Tabone declared that the only civilian witnesses in this case were the accused’s own wife and child.

No request for bail was made during the arraignment.

A request for a ban on the publication of the accused’s name was made by the defence, arguing that this was to safeguard the interests of the accused’s child who attends school in Malta.

This request was, however, turned down by Magistrate Neville Camilleri who pointed out that the law spoke clearly of the grounds for such a ban and the reason mentioned by the defence did not figure as one of them.

The court finally upheld a request by the prosecution for a freezing order upon all funds and other assets, movable and immovable, belonging to the accused.

The case continues.

Lawyer Charlon Gouder also assisted the accused as defence counsel.