It was my father, says alleged drug trafficker

A man accused of drug trafficking yesterday pointed the finger at his now deceased father, saying his dad had given him a plastic bag that unbeknown to him contained a large amount of cannabis.

"If I knew my father was selling drugs I would have told the authorities myself. I never would have thought this about my father. Although he was 76 he was more like an 18-year-old," Francis Michael Stuart Saliba, 35, from Cospicua, told a trial by jury.

He is charged with possession and trafficking of cannabis after being caught with two and a half kilogrammes of the drug in his car on October 16, 2004.

Senior Police Inspector Norbert Ciappara told the court how in 2004 he had investigated a man by the name of Anthony Saliba, the father of the accused.

He said he had received information that Anthony Saliba was about to deal in drugs. Officers conducting surveillance on him saw him giving a plastic bag to another man, whom they later found out was his son Francis.

They proceeded to stop Francis Saliba and on searching the boot of his car they found a plastic bag containing 10 packets of cannabis resin each weighing 250 grams.

Francis Saliba, a father of two, testified that he was not a drug user. He added his father was "very strict when it came to these things. I could not even get a tattoo".

Defence lawyer Roberto Montalto pointed out that no other drugs or drug paraphernalia were found on the accused or at his home.

The accused said that he used to work as a truck driver and would drive all over Europe. He once received a phone call from his father who told him that he wanted to exchange around €18,640 (Lm8,000) into sterling through unofficial channels.

"I went to my father's house where he gave me a plastic bag and without asking any questions I put it in my car.

"He told me that it contained the money. I drove for some time behind my father on our way to exchange the money and then I was stopped by the police."

He said they searched the boot and found the large cache of drugs. "As soon as they asked me what I was doing with the drugs my legs turned to jelly. I told the police that it belonged to my father.

"I knew my father was involved in wheeling and dealing but never drugs. I was really shocked when they found the drugs. I was not expecting it. I honestly thought it was money."

The trial is expected to resume tomorrow morning.

Prosecuting lawyer Lara Lanfranco is representing the Attorney General's office. Defence lawyers are Dr Montalto and Michela Spiteri.