Two men jailed total of 21 years for importing drugs
Two men have been jailed a total of 21 years and fined €43,000 after they admitted importing drugs to Malta.
Joseph Camilleri, 56, of Rabat was jailed 12 years and fined €20,000 for importing cocaine and ecstasy worth some €260,000 three years ago.
He imported the drugs from Rotterdam in a Mercedes van which reached Malta from Genoa via Tunis on board the ship Splendid.
The van had 570 grams of cocaine and 21,375 ecstasy pills hidden behind two panels.
In the second case, Dominican Richard Andrews Perez Oberght, 37, who lives in Spain, was jailed for nine years and fined €23,000 for importing 800 grams of cocaine in 80 capsules in his stomach.
He arrived in Malta with his girlfriend Albania Mora Batista, who had no knowledge of the drugs in November, 2009.
The counple flew in from Brussels and were arrested at the Preluna Hotel in Sliema, where they were staying. Ms Batista returned home after testifying.
Mr Oberght had made a deal with a man named Moreno who promised to pay him €4,000 for smuggling the drugs. The drugs were worth €56,000.
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13 Comments
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Robert Callus
Oct 16th 2012, 16:40
Though I'm not against prison sentences for traffickers of hard drugs, let's put things into proportion here. No one chooses to be raped, but there is a choice whether one buys cocaine or not.
Unless there is evidence the drugs were sold to minors, these people's victims are in reality consenting adults.
M Caruana
Oct 16th 2012, 15:51
Too much for too little!!! Cocaine and Ecstasy are far more imporant than three girls' lives? Shameful!!!!
Charles Muscat
Oct 16th 2012, 12:09
Why photos of criminals are not publicised named and shamed in Malta?
Rosalind Borg
Oct 16th 2012, 10:25
Both crimes are bad but I find it really sad that the man who raped his 3 girls was given a lighter sentence!
James Dewar
Oct 16th 2012, 11:23
Inclined to agree, more inconsistency in sentencing.
Michael Camileri
Oct 16th 2012, 13:38
Totally agree!
Bettina Kirk
Oct 16th 2012, 14:02
Totally agree with you Rosalind.
Godwin C Micallef
Oct 16th 2012, 10:19
I have served on juries which pertained to paedophiles and in my personal opinion such acts and raping your daughters should be treated as homicide as you are permanently ruining the children’s' lives.
R. Azzopardi
Oct 16th 2012, 12:53
Very well said!
Joseph Muscat
Oct 16th 2012, 09:59
People choose to take drugs daughters don't choose to be raped by anyone let alone their father who's supposed to be their staunchest protector!
Mr Jamie Frendo
Oct 16th 2012, 10:03
Couldn't agree with all the comments listed so far any more. I am not saying this sentence was not appropriate however the sentence given yesterday is just rediculous and he should have been jailed for as long as the damage he did to his own daughters, LIFE!
Paul Camilleri
Oct 16th 2012, 09:47
Importing drugs = 12 years.... Raping your 3 daughters = 10 years.... Just saying!!
David Pisani
Oct 16th 2012, 09:55
My thoughts exactly!
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