A 30-year-old Nigerian was yesterday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined €2,000 after he was found with cocaine in a bar three years ago.

Ugo Marius Nwankwo was arrested on March 19, 2009, in a Marsascala bar after police noticed two sachets of cocaine on the floor close to him.

In a search of his car, the officers seized another plastic bag with cocaine and €770 in cash. About €25,000 was then found at his home, most of which later turned out to be money owned by his wife and her father.

In a statement to police, Mr Nwankwo, who had been living in Żejtun, said the drugs were his and that he had been consuming them for about a month before he was caught.

Magistrate Marseann Farrugia noted that he was caught with an amount of the drug usually associated with an addict who had used it for far longer. This pointed to the fact that they were not for his exclusive use.

She added that someone who had only used the drug for a short time would not be consuming it in such quantities.