Van drives through road block in drug busting operation

A van, which turned out to contain brown powder suspected to be heroin, sped through a road block mounted to stop the van and another vehicle, a magistrate heard yesterday.

PC Raymond Debono told Magistrate Giovanni Grixti how on June 6 at about 11.30 p.m. he was instructed to stop two vehicles heading from Cirkewwa towards Ghadira. Thus, he and his colleagues mounted a road block.

A Pajero stopped at the road block but a van sped through and headed towards Ghadira. The police gave chase and, after several attempts, they forced the van to stop in the area of the Ghadira police station.

Silvio Buttigieg got out of the van and the vehicle was searched. The police found a black and blue bag, four cylinders wrapped in tape, an anchor and a transparent bag containing white powder suspected to be drugs.

Mr Buttigieg was arrested and taken to the police headquarters where the cylinders were opened and found to contain brown powder suspected to be heroin.

The constable was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Mr Buttigieg, 32, of Cospicua, who is pleading not guilty to conspiring to deal in some seven kilogrammes of heroin, trafficking in the drug, its possession in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use and driving a van when its road licence had expired.

Police Inspector Norbert Ciappara explained that on June 6 the police were informed that Mr Buttigieg, known as Iz-Zingla, and a certain Jason Said were to import drugs and that Mr Said would be driving in the Cirkewwa area in a Pajero while Mr Buttigieg would be in a Toyota van. Consequently, he instructed his men to block the area and stop the vehicles.

Eventually Mr Buttigieg was arrested and he told the police that Mr Said had asked him to help him carry out a job and he agreed to carry 700 grammes of heroin of which he was to be given 50 grammes.

But in statement to the police, Mr Buttigieg chose not to reply to questions put to him.

The case continues.