Xemxija ‘drug smugglers’ arraigned
Three men were yesterday charged with importing 78 bars of cannabis resin weighing in at almost 20 kilogrammes after being arrested on a boat in Xemxija Bay on Wednesday morning.
Godfrey Gambin, 34, and Libyan nationals Nabil Ibrahim Saleh, 38, and Adel Mohamed Babani, 45, pleaded not guilty to importing, conspiring to traffic and being in possession of the drug which denotes it was not for their exclusive use.
The police had said they received a tip-off that drugs were being brought in through Xemxija.
Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry yesterday congratulated the police and Armed Forces for the seizure – the largest drug haul this year.
The haul, together with a five-kilo cannabis discovery in February, meant that in the first six months of the year, the police have seized more cannabis than the amount caught throughout 2009, Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici said.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici thanked the police for their hard work in the fight against drugs. Last year, he added, some €5 million worth of drugs had been removed from the streets.
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David Caruana
Jul 2nd 2010, 19:53
@Joseph Farrugia:
I will not give it to my children, but I will neither give them junk food, soft drinks and neither will I dip their soothie (gazaza) in wine so they fall asleep.
When they grow up and they are 18, I would be happy if they kept a balanced diet, exercised regularly. If then, in their free time they still decide to consume the herb, I would be less worried than if they consumed alcohol or tobacco.
Paul Smith
Jul 2nd 2010, 16:42
The information contained in this link is not accurate www.sedqa.gov.mt/pdf/information/drugs_cannabis07.pdf
Does not contain true facts, scarmongers and is laughable. Whom ever this organization is, they are not telling the truth - i laughed so hard when it went on to list people whom used cannabis and turned psycotic - LOL Propoganda People! Any form of drug is dangerous in the hands of the mentally ill, i could make such comparisons with alcohol.
The report is badly put togeather and very very amature
Paul Smith
Jul 2nd 2010, 15:41
If my children were to chose to do drugs when they are 18 years old, then that is a choice they will have to make, however, i would rather they used cannabis than alcohol and tobbaco (you dont need to smoke tobbaco to enjoy cannabis). At least they could not get pysically addicted to cannabis unlike alcohol and tobacco - i have been a cannabis user for 27 years, i have not turned psycotic, i dont have any apparant Brian damage and neither do any of my friends whom have recreationaly used cannabis.
Cue the Maltese taliban to attack my statement - cue all the false dis-information from people whom no nothing about what they talk about., cue the doctor whom has not taken part in any studies to convince us otherwise, because his intejection on the subject goes completley against the AMD (British drug advisory council) advise and scientific research
There is a massive knowledege defecit in Malta which verges on nievity
Joseph Farrugia
Jul 2nd 2010, 12:56
Dear Mr. Caruana,
From your comment I suppose you are not against cannabis. Why don't you urge your children to try it?
David Caruana
Jul 2nd 2010, 11:52
Drugs?! We're talking about cannabis here, that's not a drug.
Charles Sammut
Jul 2nd 2010, 12:52
The term "drug" is not correct. It should be "Illegal drug". What makes it illegal is the fact that no tax is paid on it, unlike tobacco and alcohol. In fact if you grow tobacco or distil alcohol clandestinely, you would also be handling an illegal drug.
P. Farrugia
Jul 2nd 2010, 13:50
Dear Mr. Caruana
Suggest you visit www.sedqa.gov.mt/pdf/information/drugs_cannabis07.pdf if you think it is not a drug.