A driver has denied importing cannabis after the drug was found in a hidden compartment of his car during a search in the port area of Valletta.

Tiberiu-Mihail Miculescu's BMW X5 was one of six cars police stopped and searched after a catamaran crossing from Pozzallo in Sicily on Wednesday morning. 

A sniffer dog pointed out the accused’s vehicle which was subsequently taken to the police compound and dismantled.

The lengthy process eventually led to the discovery of an extra hidden compartment within which were packets of suspected cannabis grass, amounting to 6.5 kilograms.

Mr Miculescu, an unemployed 31-year-old Romanian living in Buġibba pleaded not guilty to the importation and aggravated possession of cannabis grass.

A request by the prosecution for a freezing order was upheld by the court, effecting all movable and immovable assets of the accused.

No request for bail was made at the arraignment.

Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca prosecuted.  Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett was defence counsel.