Three witnesses in as many days were heard in the drug trial of two Latin Americans, with the pace painfully slow also due to bickering between the defence and the prosecution.

The shouting match that began on Thursday spilled over into yesterday’s sitting in the form of a tit-for-tat between defence lawyers Joe Mifsud and Joe Brincat on one side and prosecuting lawyer Nadine Sant, from the Attorney General’s Office, on the other.

The accused, José Pena, 41, from Colombia and Domingo Navas, 33, of Panama, are pleading not guilty to conspiring to traffic in 1.5 kilogrammes of drugs, worth €133,000, in 2006. They were arrested in a controlled delivery after a third man, Enrique Martinez Burgoa, 43, a Mexican drug mule who was sentenced to 12 years in jail for importing the drugs into Malta, spilt the beans on the operation.

Mr Justice Michael Mallia said he was tired of the defence and the prosecution asking for a ruling over every question put to the witnesses.

At one point yesterday, Dr Sant said that if the defence kept on interrupting the questioning of witnesses, the trial would take two months. “Then we will take two months; even a year if need be,” the presiding judge promptly retorted.

The main facts of the case emerged in the first sitting and the questioning yesterday revolved around minor details such as whether the accused was handcuffed with his hands in front or behind his back.

After the lunch break, Dr Sant said she wanted to attract the judge’s attention to the fact that Dr Mifsud had asked to speak to the court registrar, Chris Camilleri, confidentially without her being there. The judge asked what was so wrong in that and she replied it was a trial by jury and everything was important, especially if Dr Mifsud asked to speak to the registrar in her absence.

The judge said he found nothing wrong with Dr Mifsud speaking to the registrar. However, he added, in future the defence must speak to the registrar in the presence of Dr Sant.

The trial is expected to continue today.