Jury likely to start deliberating today

Jurors in the trial of a man accused of involvement in a 10 kilogram cannabis deal are expected to retire to deliberate today.

A Marsaxlokk couple, Joseph and Ċensina Zerafa, admitted to their involvement in the case on Monday and are expected to be sentenced once this trial is over.

However, Joseph Camilleri is pleading not guilty to conspiring to traffic in cannabis worth over €58,250, trafficking in the drug, committing the crime within 100 metres of a place frequented by minors and being in possession of cannabis.

Jurors heard on Monday how police officers had caught Mr Zerafa and Mr Camilleri in Marsascala after they led them on a chase from Marsaxlokk with the drugs in the car.

Prosecutor Aaron Bugeja, from the Attorney General's Office, said in his closing speech yesterday that various ambiguous SMS text messages sent from Mr Zerafa's phone to Mr Camilleri's showed that the two men were talking about the alleged drug deal.

He added that Mr Camilleri had admitted to the police in various conversations and remarks that he had been involved. But defence lawyers Roberto Montalto and Marion Camilleri rebutted his arguments and insisted it was the prosecution that was interpreting the text messages in such a way. The defence team argued there was no proof that their client knew about the drugs that were in the car when he was arrested.