A container owner was yesterday jailed for 22 years and fined €50,000 after being found guilty of importing six kilos of cocaine inside its refrigeration system in 2005.

Arnold Farrugia’s teenage children and other relatives burst into tears when the verdict and punishment were read out.

Jurors found the 44-year-old guilty, by eight votes to one, of conspiring to import cocaine, importing and trafficking in the drug.

During the 10-day trial by jury, the court heard that the cocaine had a purity of 85 per cent.

The container arrived from Genoa on board the Maltese Falcon in July 2005.

Police had been tipped off about the drugs and waited until the container was picked up by a truck belonging to a local company.

An initial search yielded no results but the packets were found after the container was X-rayed.

From the outset, Mr Farrugia denied his involvement and any knowledge of the illicit cargo.

Defence counsel Edward Gatt called on the court to pass sentence in uniformity with other punishments, saying his client should not be given a similarpunishment to that of long-term drug couriers.

He said Mr Farrugia’s health and his nine-year wait for the course of justice should also be taken into consideration.

Prosecuting officer Lara Lanfranco, on the other hand, referred to an 18-year jail term given to two foreign drug couriers who had been caught with three kilogrammes of cocaine with a purity of 53 per cent.

Presiding judge Lawrence Quintano jailed Mr Farrugia for 22 years and fined him €50,000.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi also appeared for Mr Farrugia.