Man jumps into Marsa waters to evade arrest over cannabis find

A man apprehended by police in an area by the Tiger Bar in Albert Town, Marsa, managed to jump into the sea opposite the Marsa open centre to evade arrest.

The arrest took place at 4pm, when Rapid Intervention Unit officers Nathan Bugeja and Glen Calleja, stopped a motorbike driven by a suspect. The man was stopped by the officers, who found a "substantial amount" of cannabis in his possession, sources said.

The suspect managed to evade his captors in a bid to make a run for it, before jumping into the sea opposite the open centre. Within minutes the area was cordoned off by several RIU police vehicles.

The man disobeyed orders by the police to return to shore, before surrendering after some 25 minutes and emerging from the water.

The man, a 25-year-old Zimbabwean, was arrested by members of the drug squad. Police sources told MaltaToday that the police found 23 sachets filled with cannabis ready for trafficking and other related objects and an amount of cash.