A 59-year-old self-declared cocaine addict was yesterday jailed for 18 years and fined Lm18,000 after jurors found him guilty of trafficking in cocaine and cannabis between December 2001 and July 2002.

Handing down judgment, Mr Justice Galea Debono said Godfrey Ellul, of St Julians, had already been convicted of drug possession with intent to sell in the past, adding that he "disseminated drugs to continue ruining society". After more than five hours of deliberation, the jurors returned with a guilty verdict on all counts.

Mr Ellul, who stood in the dock with his arms folded as the verdict and the judgment were read out, was found guilty, by seven votes to two, of cocaine trafficking and, by eight votes to one, of trafficking in cannabis and possessing cocaine and cannabis which were found in circumstances denoting they were not for his personal use.

Mr Justice Galea Debono ordered that if the Lm18,000 fine is not paid within 15 days, they be converted into an extra 18 months in jail. He also ordered the confiscation of all the man's assets.

In their submissions on punishment, defence lawyer Joseph Brincat requested clemency for his client but the head of the Attorney General's prosecution unit, lawyer Anthony Barbara, rebutted saying clemency went hand in hand with justice.

"Here we have a man who is known as the king of cocaine. He is well-known and a hardened trafficker. We have to bestow justice on the accused and also on society," he said.

Dr Barbara said Mr Ellul has had a drug addiction problem for 25 years and has been given various chances to reform but he ignored them all. The amount of cannabis found in Mr Ellul's possession was over 1.2 kilogrammes, with a street value of about Lm4,000. "Can you imagine the enormous effect this would have had on society had it been sold," he asked.

On his part, Dr Brincat said that, while in jail, Mr Ellul always tested negative for substance abuse. He said drug trafficking was not his client's business and that cocaine had ruined his client.