A fishmonger has been cleared of drug trafficking but found guilty of simple possession. 

Roderick Bezzina, 30, from Fgura, was cleared of possession of heroin in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use. 

The court heard how Mr Bezzina was passing through a rough patch and had met someone who had convinced him to experiment with heroin. 

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras said his police record was "not alarming" so she fined him €500 for simple possession. 

The case happened in June 2002 when he was caught in possession of 2.96 grams of heroin in front of the HSBC bank branch in Fgura. The police were at the time following the movements of another person who had stopped to speak to the accused outside the bank. No drugs were found on Adrian Axiaq. 

He gave the police the heroin and told them it was his. He later told investigators that he had purchased the heroin from a person, whose name he did not know, the previous Sunday. He had never consumed drugs before that day he was caught with the heroin. 

The court said Mr Sciberras had never been involved in anything similar since that day and had now settled in his fish business and was also employing people. She fined him €500. 

Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili appeared for the man.