A man who was arrested last month on suspicion of being involved in a major drug supply ring has been granted bail.

Josef Zammit, 28 of Cospicua, had been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to aggravated possession of cocaine, heroin and cannabis upon his arraignment.

Zammit had been found in possession of drugs as well as some €6,000 in cash when arrested one Saturday night, alongside his 15-year old girlfriend.

Investigators had subsequently discovered more cash, drug paraphernalia, a firearm and ammunition when searching two residences at Cospicua.

Zammit was also charged with money-laundering, violently resisting, threatening and insulting police officers, refusing to obey legitimate orders, as well as possession of an unlicensed weapon and recidivism.

He was further charged with having allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the minor.

As the compilation of evidence continued throughout the COVID-19 crisis, various prosecution witnesses were called to testify, including the accused’s girlfriend who gave her testimony behind closed doors.

Investigations had revealed a number of vehicles, including a Corvette, in Zammit’s possession.

During one of the hearings a car dealer, who had sold the black Corvette Z O6 to the accused, was summoned, explaining how he had transferred the sports car in the name of the accused’s father for the price of €52,000.

Both the accused, known by his nickname of “Marozz”, and his father had called to view the vehicle prior to the transfer, paying €2,000 by way of deposit and handing over the rest of the money, €50,000, in cash.

The owner of a Cospicua property who had negotiated its sale with the accused for €100,000, had testified that the father had handed over €70,000 in cash, paying the remaining balance in kind, through the transfer of three vehicles.

A mechanic who ran an Msida garage, importing American auto parts, recalled how last September he had received a call from Zammit who had later turned up at his garage with photos of a crashed Corvette.

The mechanic had inspected the vehicle at the accused’s garage at Fgura, drawing up a list of damages and the parts that needed to be replaced.

The first invoice had totalled €7,000, said the mechanic.

Other works had been undertaken by another mechanic, with expenses running into some €25,000. Yet money had never been an issue, with the witness explaining that he had always been paid for his works.

Although he could not tell who was the owner of the vehicle, the Corvette had always been in the accused’s possession.

Following the last hearing in the compilation of evidence, defence lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri filed a fresh application for bail before the Criminal Court.

That request was met with objections by the prosecution which stressed the gravity of the charges, the fact that investigations were still ongoing and that civilian witnesses were still to testify.

Besides, the accused had an unruly and untrustworthy character as evidenced by his criminal record, the court was told.

The defence lawyers countered that the accused could not be denied his personal freedom for as long as investigations continued, pointing out that the main witnesses had already testified and that adequate conditions could be imposed by the court.

Mr Justice Aaron Bugeja observed that the compilation proceedings had indeed been handled efficiently by the Magistrates’ Court.

Whilst acknowledging that the decision to institute criminal proceedings was no easy task, yet once the prosecution decided to press charges, certain “legal mechanisms” entered into play, the court said.

Those mechanisms, not least the need to safeguard the accused’s right to a fair hearing, based upon the presumption of innocence, could not be ignored by the courts, all throughout the criminal proceedings, observed Mr Justice Bugeja, thus upholding the request for bail.

Bail was granted against a deposit of €10,000, a personal guarantee of €10,000, a duty to sign the bail book every day and a curfew between 6:00pm and 9:00am.

Zammit was also ordered to reside “alone” at the given address and was barred from communicating in any manner with his father.

Inspectors Kevin Pulis, Lianne Bonello and Roxanne Tabone.