Man posted cocaine to himself from abroad

A man who posted 65 grammes of cocaine to himself and smuggled a block of cannabis resin in his hand luggage in 1999 was yesterday jailed for 11 years and fined €25,000 after admitting to drug trafficking charges.

The 54-year-old Gozitan, Joseph Buttigieg, had first flown to Canada with his family before going on to buy the drugs from America a few days later.

He paid $30 a gramme and then posted the drug to his residence in Nadur in an envelope. A few weeks later he returned to the island.

He packed some of the cocaine at home and took it, ready to be sold, down to his field where he put the packets, along with some unpacked cocaine, in a Nescafé tin.

He would sell the drug near his field and would also arrange with buyers over the phone to meet nearby and make a deal. He was arrested on May 10 and on searching his home, the police seized 23 packets of cocaine amounting to around 20 grammes.

Customs failed to catch him at the airport with the cannabis hidden in his hand luggage. However, the police caught up with him some time later after investigating. He would sell the resin for €23 a piece, the court heard.

The police also found that he had started cultivating cannabis in his field in the picturesque Wied ta' Daħlet Qorrot. They found 20 plants amounting to 150 grammes of cannabis.

Mr Buttigieg was meant to undergo trial by jury yesterday but decided to admit to the charges and was jailed for 11 years and fined €25,600.