Richard Attard, who was found with 116 grams of cocaine and 400 ecstasy pills. Photo: FacebookA former commercial director of Maltacom has been imprisoned for two-and-a-half years and fined €5,000 after being found guilty of possessing a large amount of drugs .
Police caught Richard Attard, 61, from Għargħur, with 166 grams of cocaine and 400 ecstasy pills in July 2007 and subsequently charged him with being in possession of drugs not for his exclusive use.
During the case, Police Constable Trevor Cassar Mallia testified that after obtaining a search warrant, in July 2007 officers stopped Mr Attard while he was walking towards his Alfa Spider in Għargħur.
Inside the car, officers found cocaine and in further searches of his home, a house he used to rent and a garage, they seized a total of 166 grams of cocaine, 400 ecstasy pills and €3,300 in cash.
Police also found drug-related items, such as weighing scales, placed inside a picnic cooler.
In his police statement, Mr Attard admitted sharing the drugs he had bought and even named his dealers.
Magistrate Miriam Hayman heard he had turned to substance abuse after going through a number of personal problems, loneliness and suicidal thoughts.
He would take drugs as a form of self-medication but had made significant progress in the past two years and did not need go to a rehabilitation programme.
He took drugs as a form of self-medication
The magistrate said she could not understand the defence’s claim he had purchased so many drugs because he was a hoarder.
She noted he had packed the drugs into sachets and had mobile phone messages that were more than indicative of the “business” he was running.
She also referred to a notebook found in his home containing names and numbers that left her in no doubt as to what activities Mr Attard was involved in.
While she took into consideration his problems, the crime carried a mandatory jail term. Mr Attard, represented by lawyer Joe Giglio, has appealed.