Heroin user acquitted of supplying drugs with her partner

Jacqueline Farrugia was acquitted of the charges of procuring and supplying heroin alongside her partner.

On 1 February 2010, Farrugia drove her partner to sign his bail book at the Sliema police station. 

The Police approached the Peugeot when her partner, Jason Abela, known as ‘Turan’, exited the car and entered the police station. 

“She was acting suspiciously,” police officers told the court as they recalled how she flung something she had been holding out of the car window. 

Upon inspection, police found that she had discarded nine sachets, wrapped in magazine paper, that contained suspected traces of heroin. 

“She hassled us when we tried to get her out of the car and made a lot of noise, claiming that we were picking on her,” police officers said.

In a statement she gave the police after her arrest, Farrugia said that she was unmarried with two kids and that she abused of heroin regularly, consuming up to two sachets a day, and that she’s been doing this for a year and a half.

When asked by the police how she obtained money for the drugs, Farrugia said that she used government financial assistance (relief).

“Sometimes I go to Gzira as well. I do this willingly because I’ll do anything for my kids to obtain money,” she said. 

In Farrugia’s Gzira residence, which she shared with Jason Abela, the police found heroin amounting to 1.81 grams and was 32% pure. 

In court, the police claimed that the accused’s partner was known by the Drug Squad as a pusher and established that the nine sachets that Farrugia had thrown out of the car window before she was arrested had been in his possession before Abela asked her to hold them for him while he signed his bail book.

“The court will not speculate on whether the accused is involved with pushing the drugs. But at this stage, the court can never reach proof beyond a reasonable doubt that she was supplying drugs herself,” the court declared.

Farrugia was acquitted from all charges and released from arrest. 

Neville Camilleri was the presiding magistrate.

Inspectors Pierre Grech and Frank Anthony Tabone prosecuted. 

Edward Gatt was defence counsel.