A Russian man who in April 2011 entered Malta with drugs hidden in a false compartment in his luggage was yesterday jailed for five years and fined €23,000.

Dmitrijus Zdorovcevas, 28, a Russian national living in Lithuania, pleaded guilty to the charges before he was due to face a trial by jury.

He admitted conspiring with others to import heroin and importing benzodiazepine, a powder that is mixed with heroin.

Mr Zdorovcevas admitted guilt following a plea-bargaining deal.

Police Inspector Johann Fenech prosecuted.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.