A man caught with cocaine and heroin in his car is alleged to have assaulted and tried to bribe police officers who arrested him, a court heard on Friday.  

The man, who was arrested after his behaviour sparked the suspicion of police officers patrolling Marsascala, was released on bail on Friday. 

Luke Grech, a 29-year old Marsascala resident, was spotted on Wednesday afternoon in his hometown by two policemen who grew suspicious and followed his car to Triq id-Dahla ta’ San Tumas.

When stopped by the officers, Grech allegedly reacted aggressively, refused to answer questions and assaulted them.

A search of his vehicle yielded some 39 sachets of suspected cocaine and heroin as well as a significant amount of cash. 

The driver was arrested and taken to court on Friday to face a lengthy list of charges which include possession of the drugs under circumstances indicating that they were not solely for personal use.

He was also charged with threatening and insulting the two officers, slightly injuring them, violently resisting arrest, attempting to bribe them as well as voluntarily damaging third party property. 

The man was further charged with breaching the peace, breaching a previous bail decree as well as recidivism. 

He pleaded not guilty. His lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia requested bail, arguing that there were no civilian witnesses involved and that the accused was still presumed innocent. 

After hearing submissions by both parties, the court, presided over by magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia upheld the request, on condition that the accused signed the bail book daily, abided by a curfew between 10.00pm and 6.00am and provided a third party guarantee for €20,000.

The court also imposed bail supervision pending court proceedings.

Inspector Clayton Camilleri prosecuted.