Chukwudi Samuel Onyeabor, a 39-year-old Nigerian-born Dutch resident, was last night found not guilty of trafficking drugs in February 2008.

He was found not guilty by seven votes against two.

Mr Onyeabor was arrested in 2008 after an operation involving a controlled delivery conducted by local police authorities. Investigators had been put on the trail of a drug trafficking racket after the arrest of two drug carriers at Malta International Airport that same year.

Investigators were led to Mr Onyeabor and Ferdinand Onovo after arresting two drug carriers at Malta International Airport that same year. The two carriers were caught with almost 6 kilogrammes of cocaine of 53 per cent purity having an open market value between €403,305 and €593,434.

Last month, Mr Onovo was condemned to a jail term of 10 years and a fine of €25,000 after being found guilty of his involvement in the drug conspiracy.

Mr Onyeabor last month took to the streets of Valletta to protest against the "injustice and bullying" he had suffered at the hands of the Maltese justice system after spending the past nine years in legal limbo awaiting trial. 

Prosecutors allege that he turned to cocaine trafficking after failing in his earlier attempt to set up business in the entertainment and productions industry in the Netherlands.

His trial by jury is presided over by Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi. Lawyers Simon Micallef Stafrace was legal counsel. Lawyers Nadia Attard and Kevin Valletta prosecuted.