Two men held under arrest after Msida drug trafficking raid

A surveillance operation by the Drugs Squad has resulted in two men being accused of trafficking cocaine and heroin.

48-year-old Jason Zammit from Pietà and Burgh Spiteri, 34, from Hamrun were arraigned before magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil in two separate arraignments on Friday, accused of trafficking cocaine and heroin, possession of the drugs in circumstances indicating that it was not for personal use, within 100 metres of a place where young people gather. Spiteri was also charged with recidivism, while Spiteri was further charged with breaching two sets of bail conditions.

The arrests came after several weeks of investigations by the police, according to an official statement. Officers had staked out the residence from where drugs were suspected of being sold. 

Zammit was arraigned first. Inspector Pace explained that the police had been investigating for months, covertly observing a property in Msida not far from Junior College, across the road from a childcare centre.

Police inspectors John Leigh Howard and Jonathan Pace told the court that the entrance to the property from which the drugs were allegedly being sold was blocked from the inside with a block of wood.

After the police gained entry, five people - Zammit amongst them - were found inside. Pace said he recognised Zammit from his previous run-ins with the law. 

The court heard that a table appeared to have been hastily cleaned, and traces of drugs were found on it. Cash and cocaine were also found inside a locked safe.

The police Inspector added that Zammit had not answered when the police asked him why he had been sleeping at the flat, when he was supposed to be staying with his mother while on bail in connection with a previous case.

In court it emerged that police officers had found the two men inside the property, together with three women. Several sachets of what police suspect to be cocaine and heroin were also found, packaged in a manner suggesting that they were ready to be sold, along with paraphernalia related to drug trafficking.

Further searches by the police resulted in the discovery of a bag containing around 50 grams of a substance suspected to be cocaine, as well as a significant amount of cash.

Zammit, who told the court that he was unemployed, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was not requested, with the defence explaining that this was due to the fact that there appeared to be several civilian witnesses who were yet to testify.

Inspector Pace told the court that the man had behaved himself with the police and appeared to have a serious addiction problem. The court made a recommendation to the prison authorities that the man receive the necessary treatment while in custody. 

After Zammit was led away, it was Burgh Spiteri’s turn in the dock. 

Inspector Pace said that the man had been arrested during the same raid, the police finding him in bed with a woman. Foil and the key to a safe where heroin was found were beside the bed. “Not only were people consuming drugs in this house, but drugs were being sold from there.”

Both men had been observed using a Mercedes as well as a scooter to get around. The court heard that Spiteri had released a statement, in which he acknowledged that he sometimes sold drugs to maintain his own habit. Recorded conversations obtained by the police indicated that Spiteri would also be in contact with individuals abroad in terms of drug trafficking, said the inspector.

Spiteri, who told the court that he worked as a dog breeder, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

His lawyer requested bail, arguing that the man had cooperated with the police and his last conviction was in 2013, indicating an address in Ħamrun where he could reside. 

Inspector Pace objected, telling the court that contrary to what the defence had told the court, the prosecution was informed that the defendant did not presently have anywhere to live, as last week he and his wife were separating. The police had gone several times to his previous residence to respond to reports from his partner “who wanted to throw him out of the house.” As his dog-breeding business had been a joint venture with his estranged partner, he did not have a job.

Individuals who had been present in the property during the raid, and others who came to buy drugs while the police were there. Calls show he had been arranging drug deals. The inspector said although Spiteri didn’t appear to be a major drug dealer, around €800 in cash and sachets containing brown powder, suspected to be heroin, had been found in his safe together with documents naming both Spiteri and Zammit documenting what appeared to be drug sales.

In his own statement, Spiteri admitted that he “might have touched” the substances discovered by the police, added the inspector.

The prosecution expressed concerns about Spiteri’s trustworthiness for the purposes of bail. He had been granted bail in July in other proceedings, added the inspector, but had not been found at the address indicated in his bail conditions. 

Bail was denied, with the court making a similar recommendation to the prison administration to that it had made for Zammit.

The prosecution asked the court to issue a freezing and seizure order over his assets, which was upheld after the defence did not object.

Lawyers Matthew Xuereb, Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri are assisting Zammit. Spiteri was assisted by lawyer Martina Herrera as legal aid.