Jailed, fined for heroin possession

A 40-year-old man was jailed for seven months and fined Lm250 for the possession of heroin with the intent to sell it nine years ago.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano found Paul Spagnol, of San Gwann, guilty of the possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use and relapsing in August 1998.

The magistrate heard Police Superintendent Neil Harrison, prosecuting, explain that in August, 1998, drug squad police officers carried out a search at Mr Spagnol's apartment. There they found Lm712 in cash.

When they searched the area outside the apartment block where Mr Spagnol lived, the police found a packet of cigarettes just below one of Mr Spagnol's windows.

Inside the packet were five plastic bags each containing sachets of heroin. The bags were sealed with yellow tape. The police then searched Mr Spagnol's apartment again and found plastic bags and yellow tape similar to those found in the cigarette packet.

Tests eventually revealed that the cigarette box contained a total of 2.228 grammes of heroin.

On evaluating the evidence, the magistrate found Mr Spagnol guilty as charged. He jailed him for seven months and fined him Lm250. The magistrate also ordered that the Lm712 found at Mr Spagnol's apartment be returned to him as it had not been proven that the money was connected to drugs.