Updated: Latvian jailed 12 years
A Latvian man has been jailed 12 years and fined €30,000 after a jury found guilty of conspiring to import cocaine with eight votes to one.
The jury reached their verdict after deliberating for an hour.
The Latvian, Janis Boruss, 31, told a court today that he was drunk when he was arrested and when he gave a statement to the police in 2010.
He contested the charge because what was found in a false bottom of his bag were three kilogrammes of coffee and paracetamol. The prosecution, however, said this was a cutting agent for cocaine.
Mr Boruss conducted his own defence before the jurors.
He told the court he was an alcoholic at the time and was drunk when he arrived in Malta. He could not imagine what had been going through his head when he carried coffee and paracetemol in his luggage.
However, he still could not understand why he was in court over some coffee.
Prosecuting lawyer Elaine Mercieca Rizzo said his version of events did not make sense.
He was certainly not drunk at the time of his arrest and could not have been, since he would not have been allowed on the plane in the UK. Furthermore, while he was arrested in the morning, the police took his statement in the evening, which would have allowed him plenty of time to sober up, had he really been drunk. The police would not have taken the statement of anybody who was intoxicated.
Yesterday, Police Inspector Dennis Theuma said that the accused arrived on a flight from Luton Airport after picking up what he thought to be cocaine from Brussels.
In his police statement, he said he was booked in at the Sea Breeze Hotel and someone was to come and take the bag, for which he would receive a €700 payment.
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10 Comments
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J Curmi
Nov 28th 2012, 15:12
The only comment that makes sense is Ms Antonia Vella's. I suggest to the rest to become acquainted with Maltese criminal law or at least take the time to sit through one of these cases in Court to listen to all the facts that the AG puts forwards, before passing your comments.
Mark Anthony Caruana
Nov 28th 2012, 08:11
Next time i come back to malta from a holiday abroad i'll make sure i won't have any coffee or panadols in my hand luggage! ma jmurx nispicca il habs ghal xi 12-il sena!
if i have sweets which contain coffee will i also get arrested by any chance?
Mark Anthony Caruana
Nov 28th 2012, 08:03
12 years???? i think that's a bit too much - after all no drugs were found...!
Robert Agius
Nov 27th 2012, 16:35
Moving steadily towards a Talibanized system I see.....well done Malta! You make me proud!! *facepalm* What next, arresting someone for attempted murder for having a kitchen knife at home? Who the hell do they get to be part of the jury? Characters from the Simpsons?
Franco Attard Trevisan
Nov 27th 2012, 14:18
No illegal drugs = No case period!
These accusations of 'conspiracy' to commit a crime are becoming way too frequent. It's the police's way of saying "you didn't do anything wrong but we must incriminate you somehow!"
B. Storace
Nov 27th 2012, 13:39
Was this a dummy run to test the system?
M Mealclaff
Nov 27th 2012, 13:27
All the more reason to compulsory have a Lawyer present during Police Interview.
P Bonnici
Nov 27th 2012, 11:54
This guy was not importing drugs, he was unfortunate enough to get embroiled with drug dealers, these are the ones that the police should use their resources to catch. This Latvian is an innocent small fry it seems to me.
Antonia Vella
Nov 27th 2012, 16:43
Innocent kiku gie holiday u mar jghum ghajn tuffieha
Mark Anthony Caruana
Nov 27th 2012, 11:25
Well i think that Mr. Boruss has already paid the price if is he is proven guilty of conspiring with a drug trafficking agent... After all no drugs were found on his person or in the bag with the false bottom...
and i also think he did learn the lesson!
Please choose the reason of your report below: