Prison visitors caught with drugs

A 24-year-old woman from Birkirkara was arrested on a visit to a female prisoner after she was spotted hiding something in her trousers, which turned out to be a packet of heroin.

She is one of five people who were arrested on Sunday over drugs, two of them at the Corradino prison, police said.

Prison officials and members of the Drug Squad also arrested a 33-year-old woman from St Paul's Bay who was visiting a male prisoner.

The police said that when the woman realised she was going to be searched she tried to hide a packet containing heroin. Another eight grams of heroin and an air pistol were found among her personal belongings.

Drug Squad police later raided a party in a band club in the south. They arrested a 26-year-old man from Birkirkara and a 22-year-old woman from Żejtun who were found in possession of ecstasy.

At night, the Drug Squad assisted by Customs' officers arrested a 25-year-old Bulgarian man who had arrived in Malta on a direct flight from Brussels and was found to be carrying more than 1.1 kilograms of cocaine and heroin.

The drugs were in 116 capsules hidden in a false compartment in his luggage - 92 of the capsules had cocaine, 24 contained heroin.

Duty magistrate Anthony Vella is holding inquiries into the four cases.