Guilty of heroin possession

A Fgura man was yesterday jailed for six months and fined Lm200 for the possession of heroin in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use.

The man was found guilty of drug possession on and before January 11, 1997. His name cannot be published because he was 17 at the time of the commission of the crime.

Magistrate Noel Cuschieri heard how the police found heroin sachets, empty sachets and a copybook, listing figures denoting sums of money, in his residence.

The man denied selling heroin although he admitted taking it. But the magistrate ruled that the charge had been sufficiently proven.

After noting that the defendant had been 17 at the time of the commission of the crime and that he had a clean criminal record, the magistrate also acknowledged that the man was a heroin addict who was making an effort to overcome his problem. Magistrate Cuschieri thus ruled that the man deserved to be given the minimum punishment.

Police Superintendent Nicholas Ciappara prosecuted.