Officers who thought two men on a motorcycle were acting suspiciously were proved right when cocaine was found.

Police Inspector Nikolai Sant told Magistrate Giovanni Grixti that the men were spotted on Wednesday by policemen who thought that they were about to steal a woman’s handbag.

The two were stopped and searched and nine sachets of cocaine were found in the possession of Serbian Milos Peric, 29, who lives in St Julian’s.

A search in his apartment yielded a further 17 grams of the drug together with a forged passport for which Mr Peric said he had paid €1,100.

Mr Peric pleaded not guilty to aggravated possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis and of the drug known as magic mushrooms and having a forged passport.

He was remanded in custody.

Goran Stojanovic, 33, also of St Julian’s, admitted to consuming cannabis in the past although he was not in possession of drugs when he was stopped with Mr Peric.

Mr Stojanovic was conditionally discharged for six months.