A man has been jailed for nine months and fined €600 fine after he was caught with seven grams of cannabis.  

Jugoslav Damjanovic, 34, a Bosnian national living at Valletta, was charged with possessing cannabis under circumstances indicating that the drug was not intended for personal use. He was also found drunk in public. 

Prosecuting Inspector Priscilla Caruana Lee explained that eight small sachets and two grinders had been found in the man’s possession, with the total amount of cannabis being 7.3 grams. 

That is more than double the 3.5g threshold under which first-time offenders are restricted to fines of up to €100.

Legal aid lawyer Charmaine Cherrett said that the accused was pleading guilty, pointing out that he had cooperated fully with the police when making submissions on punishment. 

Whilst agreeing upon this submission, Inspector Caruana Lee pointed out one “discrepancy,” in the sense that the accused had told police that he had been in Malta for a year when he had actually filed an application for residence in 2018.

The court, presided over by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, after hearing submissions on punishment declared the accused guilty upon his own admission and condemned him to a nine-month jail term and a €600 fine.

The court also ordered the destruction of the drug.