A man found in possession of over 40 sachets of cannabis and synthetic drugs was remanded in custody on Tuesday.

Nuhu Mohammed, a 33-year-old construction worker from Ghana, was arrested last Sunday by police who noticed his suspicious movements while patrolling the area of Triq Dicembru Tlettax at around 4.45 pm.

The man was spotted in Ġnien Patri Felicjan Bilocca before running off when catching sight of the police. The officers gave chase and caught up with the man.

The suspect’s hand was glued to his jacket as the police grappled with him and during the tussle, some sachets filled with a greenish substance fell out of his pockets.

A search of his person yielded 40 more sachets of a similar greenish substance. He was arrested and read his rights.

During interrogation, Mohammed first said that he was a smoker and that the cannabis was for personal use.

But he subsequently admitted that he sold drugs to earn money so that he could pay for his trip back to Italy, prosecuting Inspector Sarah Kathleen Zerafa explained.

She had pointed out to the accused that he was not even supposed to be in Malta since he had no identification documents. The man had explained that his passport and wallet were stolen when he arrived in Malta from Italy.

Mohammed was charged with possession of cannabis in circumstances denoting that the drug was not solely for personal use or within 100 metres of a place where young people habitually meet.

He was also charged with aggravated possession of synthetic drugs and disobeying legitimate police orders.

The accused pleaded not guilty.

His lawyer, Alfred Abela, did not request bail at the arraignment stage even in view of the fact that the accused apparently had no fixed address and was living in Malta without the necessary identification documents.