Two Sicilian men were yesterday jailed for eight months each after pleading guilty to possession of enough cannabis to prepare 700 joints.

Francesco Consalvo, 26, and Filippo Parasole, 29, both of Catania, admitted to being in possession of 70 grams of cannabis each, which was found in circumstances denoting it was not for their personal use.

They were therefore charged with cannabis possession with intent to traffic.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras heard how the men, who were caught with the drugs in May, had a clean police record during the time they spent in Malta.

She also took into consideration the fact that the Sicilians helped the police with other drug investigations. She sentenced the men to eight months behind bars and fined them €800 each.

Police Inspector Nicolai Sant prosecuted.