Woman bought heroin at bargain price

A Gozitan woman has been cleared of the possession of 0.48 grammes of heroin with the intent to sell when a magistrate believed her explanation that she had bought the drugs at a bargain price for her personal use.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera cleared Maria Concetta Vella, 41, of Marsalforn, of the possession of heroin in circumstances denoting it was not for her personal use in May 2002.

The magistrate heard how the police had found a Kinder egg capsule containing eight sachets of heroin, of 60 per cent purity, in Ms Vella's residence.

Ms Vella admitted the drugs were hers and that she had bought the drugs for her personal use. She explained that she had been abusing drugs for about 20 years and had bought the heroin because it was at a bargain price.

The magistrate was satisfied that Ms Vella had bought the drug for her personal use and ruled that the charge brought against her had not been proven.

Superintendent Neil Harrison prosecuted.