Spaniard in dock after Police seize kilogramme of cocaine

A Police Inspector told a court today how the arrest of a suspicious Nigerian man arriving on a flight from Valenciaon October 2, had led them to follow a second suspect, Spaniard Josè Manuel Domingo Benito, who was caught with one kilogramme of cocaine in a St. Julian's hotel room, and to the identity of the 'big boss' in Spain who sent him text messages of where to stay and whom to meet.

Police are said to have issued a European Arrest Warrant for the 'big boss' and investigations are ongoing together with the Spanish police.

Inspector Herman Mula from the Police Drugs Squad told Magistrate Miriam Hayman that Nigerian Paul Ugochukwu Offor, 37, from Spain, had an SMS on his mobile phone stating that he should go to the Tropicana Hotel in St Julian's.

Mula suspected that Offor had accompanied the Spaniard who had turned up at the Tropicana Hotel without a booking and checked into a room.

When officers knocked at his door, they found Benito with cocaine on a table and a "heavy but empty luggage" which was found to have two false compartments with large packets of cocaine.

When interrogated soon after his arrest,  Benito told police that he had met a Nigerian man called Michael and they agreed to bring a cutting agent to Malta.

He suspected the substance he was carrying was cocaine and opened the packet when he got to the hotel. He said he tried the cocaine by rubbing some on his teeth and sniffing it.

But while talking to Police, Benito's mobile phone rang and through limited English vocabulary and Spanish they managed to understand that a man who later turned out to be another Nigerian - identified as Kingsley Wilcox - had turned up at the hotel to pick up the bag.

Officers rushed to the Tropicana Hotel in Paceville and arrested Wilcox who was carrying three mobile phones, €2,000 cash and another €700 in his wallet.