Eight-month jail term for six ecstasy pills
Court sentences 26-year-old for eight months after convicting him of selling six pills – one of which led to the overdose of a youth
Simon Camilleri, 26, of Zabbar was this morning imprisoned for eight months and fined €700 after being found guilty of trafficking six ecstasy pills - one of which led to the overdose of a youth back in 2008.
The court heard how back in July 2008, Camilleri - know as 'il-Kurun' - had met Rachel Abdilla at the Zebbug Labour Party club and sold her six ecstasy pills for €90. Abdilla kept two for herself and passed the other four to her boyfriend Francois Zammit, who after consuming the pills, suffered an overdose.
In her testimony, Abdilla said that prior to meeting the accused; her boyfriend had given her €50 to purchase four pills for him.
Abdilla insisted that this was the first time that she had bought drugs from Camilleri, and argued that she had asked him for such a favour because she assumed he had a particular lifestyle.
In separate proceedings, Abdilla, a machine operator at ST Microelectronics, was jailed for three months over charges of drug possession and trafficking related to this case.
Taking the witness stand, Inspector Johann Fenech explained how on 3rd February 2010, he questioned Rachel Abdilla in connection with the overdose that occurred in 2008.
Inspector Fenech explained that in her previous statement, Abdilla had claimed that she had taken the pills at a party and that this was the only time she consumed drugs. However, during a later statement, she told the police that she had bought the six pills from the accused who at the time was her colleague.
The police subsequently searched Camilleri's residence but no drugs were found.
In the proceedings against Camilleri, the court noted that the accused had no previous convictions related to drugs and he had sold the drugs to Abdilla as a favour. The court also noted that this was the first time the accused had trafficked drugs.
Nevertheless Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras found Camilleri guilty of trafficking ecstasy and jailed him for eight months. He was also fined €700.
Inspector Johann Fenech prosecuted.