A man arrested by police patrolling the streets of Marsa on Sunday was denied bail on Tuesday upon his arraignment over drug-related charges.

Haadi Mohammed, a 30-year-old construction worker from Ghana, was spotted in the company of some other seven persons by RIU officers patrolling the area of Triq Diċembru 13 at around 1.30pm.

Upon sensing police presence, the group dispersed but Mohammed landed under arrest after the officers discovered some 36 sachets of cannabis, seven pieces of cannabis resin, €280 in cash, and an old Lm5 banknote.

At his arraignment, the man pleaded not guilty to possessing the drugs under circumstances indicating that they were not intended solely for personal use, further aggravated by the fact that the alleged offences occurred within 100 metres of a place frequently visited by youths.

His request for bail was objected to by prosecuting inspectors Alfredo Mangion and Stacy Attard who pointed out that the accused appeared to have no fixed address and had only supplied vague details about a Qormi residence.

Moreover, the man had travelled to Malta on an Italian residence permit that was due to expire soon.

The man’s legal aid counsel, Simon Micallef Stafrace, argued that the accused’s address was saved on his mobile phone which had been seized by the police. 

After hearing submissions by both parties, the court, presided over by magistrate Charmaine Galea, turned down the request in view of the serious nature of the charges and the lack of a fixed address.