Drugs have been “eradicated” from prison, Corradino Correctional Facility’s director has claimed. 

“There are no drugs in prison - we have eradicated them,” Colonel Alexander Dalli told a court while testifying in a case concerning one of the prison’s inmates. 

He told the court none of the prison’s 660 inmates, including the man in the dock, had caused problems and that there had been no fights inside the prison for the past three or four months. 

Col Dalli, who took over the running of CCF one year ago, has made no secret about his focus on stopping the free flow of drugs behind prison walls. 

As part of the clampdown, Col Dalli has cut down visitation rights and halted conjugal visits. He defended his tactics during a Xarabank interview six months ago, telling presenter Peppi Azzopardi “the methods are bearing fruit”. 

The colonel was testifying during a case concerning a 42-year-old who assaulted a policewoman in court after being denied bail. 

The 42-year-old was handed a two-year jail term on Monday for last week’s incident, which happened when he grew extremely agitated during his arraignment. 

He stood charged with domestic violence crimes at his parent’s Żebbuġ home. 

When the court denied him bail, he had grabbed inspector Kylie Borg by the arm, bruising her. He continued to struggle and shout as he was led away into the empty corridors of the law courts. 

When giving evidence last Thursday, the man’s father said his son was on drug withdrawal medication and that he had probably behaved that way because he had not been given adequate treatment.

The man’s defence lawyer, Michael Tanti-Dougall, also raised this issue.

In a lengthy judgment delivered this morning, the court condemned the man’s act, saying “an attack on a police officer is an attack on society”. 

After examining all the evidence put forward and the accused’s criminal record, the court noted that all the man’s troubles stemmed from his drug addiction.

“I’m offering you a chance to take the right path, rather than continue on the way to your grave. Take it!” magistrate Joseph Mifsud urged the man, who nodded in understanding.

The court declared the man guilty and condemned him to a two-year effective jail term, a €5,000 fine and placed him him under a three-year Treatment Order.