Dog's reaction leads to drugs find

Customs officials searched a Libyan man at the airport and found suspected drug sachets in his shoes after a trained dog reacted to the man's luggage, a court heard yesterday.

Patrick Cuschieri, a dog instructor at the Customs' dog section, explained how a dog was set on luggage on the carousel when he suddenly reacted to a suitcase.

Cuschieri's colleague waited to identify the owner of the luggage, saw it was Fathi Milud Bugseaa and searched him. Sachets of brown powder were found hidden in his shoes.

Cuschieri testified before Magistrate Lawrence Quintano in the compilation of evidence against Bugseaa, 38, who is pleading not guilty to importing some 800 grammes of cannabis resin into Malta and to the possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use on July 21.

Earlier, Police Inspector Nezren Grixti, prosecuting, took the witness stand and explained how he was informed that Bugseaa had been stopped by Customs' officials at the airport because he was found in the possession of a suspicious substance.

Investigations showed that the defendant's shoes contained eight pieces of cannabis resin wrapped in yellow tape.

Bugseaa told the police he had been to Malta four times before to buy medicine.

He said a friend had given him the shoes as a present and he did not know that they contained drugs. He also denied being paid to import the cannabis and said he did not notice that the shoes were heavier than usual.

At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Quintano ruled there were enough reasons for Bugseaa's indictment.

The case continues.