A man found to be carrying eight sachets of cocaine during a police search in Paceville was today charged with possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his exclusive use.

Police Inspector Gabriel Micallef told Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit how 20-year-old Colin Ciangura was arrested on Saturday night trying to enter a Paceville entertainment establishment. He was carrying eight sachets of cocaine. He said the man at first resisted a search.

The inspector said the defendant was unemployed and had never worked in his life, yet he drove a Mercedes. The trafficking had been going on for some time, he added.

This prompted defence counsel Franco Debono to interject, saying his client had not been accused of drug trafficking but of aggravated possession. He said his client had a cocaine addiction and that it was up to the prosecution to prove that the substance found, which amounted to less than 10 grams, was not for his own use. 

Dr Debono requested bail, saying his client would not tamper with evidence. But Inspector Micallef objected, saying that evidence had already been tampered with as when the police went to the man's apartment to carry out a search, they found that the door had been forced open and very little related to drug had been found. The search only yielded empty sachets similar to the ones where the cocaine had been found.  

Magistrate Starface Zammit granted Mr Ciangura bail against a €10,000 personal guarantee. She also ordered him to sign the bail book daily and be home between 5pm and 7am the following day. The magistrate also ordered the freezing of all his assets.