Three suspected members of an international drug trafficking ring were charged in court on Monday following a police operation that yielded some €600,000 worth of cocaine.
Meiby Jazmin Ramirez Gomez, a 22-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic working as a chef assistant in Spain, Jose Angel Hernandez Perez, 47, a Venezuelan man working in construction in Spain and Leonardo Jose Marquez Uzcategui, 40, a Venezuelan man working as a fibre optic installer also in Spain, were arraigned separately in Valletta on Monday.
All three were charged with importing cocaine, procurement and aggravated possession under circumstances indicating that the substance was not for their personal use.
Prosecuting Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca explained how the woman was arrested first at Malta International Airport over the weekend.
Some 140 capsules filled with the suspected drug were found inside her clothes.
Data on her mobile phone as well as information that emerged during police questioning, put investigators on the tracks of two other suspects allegedly involved in the racket, ferrying drugs to Malta.
One of the suspects was tracked down to an Msida apartment where the man told officers that he was looking for a place to sleep, later allegedly admitting that he had imported some 700 to 800 grams of cocaine.
The third suspect was later arrested at a St Julian’s hotel where more drugs were allegedly found.
All three pleaded not guilty.
Legal aid counsel Joseph Brincat made no request for bail at this stage, given the nature of the charges and circumstances of the case.
The court, presided over by magistrate Noel Bartolo, upheld a request by the prosecution for a freezing order over all assets of the accused save for an annual statutory allowance of just over €13,000.
The trio were remanded in custody.
A police statement said that the anti-drug squad had arrested the three suspects following weeks of investigation and surveillance.
The drug bust had allegedly yielded some five kilograms of cocaine with a street value of around €600,000.
Inspectors Mark Anthony Mercieca and Melvin Zammit prosecuted. Lawyer Joseph Brincat was legal aid counsel.