A man who was found guilty of importing over 800 grammes of heroin and conspiring to import the drug was yesterday jailed for 21 years and fined €70,000 (Lm30,043).

After six hours of deliberating, jurors found Mario Borg, 32, from Buġibba guilty, by eight votes to one, of importing heroin and of conspiring to import the drug. He was also found guilty by seven votes to two of heroin possession.

Mr Borg stood trial on charges of importing 816.06 grammes of heroin, conspiring to import the drug and its possession in circumstances which denoted it was not for his personal use between February and April 2003.

The trial's two main witnesses were female Turkish drug couriers who pointed their finger at Mr Borg, saying he was the person they met in Malta on the two occasions they brought drugs here. They also confirmed he was the person they had identified in a police line up.

Both women testified that Mr Borg had accepted the drug consignments. Kandemir Meryem Nilgun and Kucuk Melek said they had swallowed a large amount of capsules containing heroin in Turkey and then took a flight to Malta. Mr Borg gave them laxatives and some food so they could relieve themselves of the capsules, which were then passed on to Mr Borg, the court heard.

In their pleas on punishment, defence lawyer José Herrera said Mr Borg had a clean police record, except for a minor driving offence and he asked Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono presiding over the trial to take this into consideration.

The prosecuting officer, the head of the Attorney General's Prosecuting Unit, Anthony Barbara, asked for the maximum sentence possible in order to set an example to society and to make up for the damage caused to the victims of drugs.

Dr Herrera and lawyer Roberto Montalto appeared for Mr Borg.