Jordan Azzopardi’s drug peddler released on bail

One of Jordan Azzopardi’s drug peddlers, Luke Farrugia, has been released on bail.

Farrugia, 24 from Zabbar, was charged with supplying and trafficking cannabis, cocaine and heroin, doing this in the vicinity of a school, grievously injuring another man and being a relapser.

His arraignment came after a police raid on the drug empire of Azzopardi, known as the Maltese "El Chapo". 

The defence asked for Farrugia to be released from preventive arrest on bail. 

“He has not breached bail conditions as the possibility of bail hasn’t even been brought up yet in the other case,” Farrugia's lawyer Roberto Montalto said. 

The prosecution, led by Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca, said that the young man had been arrested on 18 April and has not acted confrontationally since being in police custody.

Asked by the court about the amount of drugs Farrugia had in his possession, the prosecution said that this is yet to be confirmed especially because most of the illegal substances had been destroyed. 

Based on Farrugia’s own admissions and his cooperation, the court decided to grant bail. 

The court ordered Farrugia to sign the bail book at the Zabbar police station three times a week, and imposed a curfew between 6am and 11pm. It also prohibited him from leaving Malta and approaching any witnesses.

He was released on bail on a €1,000 deposit and a guarantee of €10,000. 

Magistrate Charmaine Galea presided.