A 64-year-old man was yesterday jailed for 10 years and fined €23,000 after he filed an early guilty plea, admitting he had imported half a kilo of heroin in the soles of his shoes.

An agreement on punishment was reached between the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and the defence team of Emanuel Scerri, also known as Il-Brixu, after he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import and importing drugs, just before he was to be tried by a jury.

Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano heard that, in October 2007, Mr Scerri had made arrangements with Vincent Attard, also known as Iċ-Ċappa, to import the heroin from Turkey.

The two men and a woman, Daniela Licari, met in Rome and took a connecting flight to Istanbul. There, they went to a workshop where the drugs were produced and placed inside the soles of shoes which fit the accused.

Mr Scerri agreed to act as a mule and travel back to Malta with the drugs in the shoes. The group arranged to split up at Rome airport and meet again at another unspecified airport later that day.

Mr Scerri waited for Ms Licari and Mr Attard but unknown to him they had been arrested by the Italian police.

Having no money to pay for the flight back to Malta, he went to the Maltese Embassy and managed to fly back with their help.

But on arriving, he was stopped and searched. It was at that point that Customs officers realised there was something wrong because of the weight of his shoes.

The officials drilled a hole through the bottom and discovered the packets of heroin inside.

The powder was tested and found to be 43 per cent pure, which meant it had a street value of about €23,000.

Lawyer Aaron Bugeja from the Attorney General's Office prosecuted.

Lawyers José Herrera and Veronique Dalli appeared for Mr Scerri.