A Libyan man who claimed he knew nothing about 1.5 kg of heroin found in the false bottom of his luggage was yesterday jailed for 18 years and fined €40,000.

Jurors returned after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation to find 27-year-old Bedredeen Elghangha guilty by eight votes to one of conspiring to traffic and import the drug as well as its possession in circumstances denoting it was not for his exclusive use, on April 26, 2007.

He was also found guilty by seven votes to two of trafficking in the drug, which had a market value of between €69,000 and €107,000.

In handing down judgment, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono said he had considered everything including the "concentrated attack" on vulnerable Maltese youth by drug traffickers, which should be taken very seriously.

In submissions on punishment, defence lawyer Joe Mifsud told the court his client never broke the law before or since and had a clean police record.

But the lawyer from the Attorney General's Office, Lara Lanfranco, asked the court to review similar cases and to hand down a jail term within the parameters of those judgments.

Mr Elghangha on Monday had flatly denied his involvement in the case, saying he had no idea there were drugs hidden in a false bottom of his bag.

He claimed that before he left Tunisia to come to Malta, a friend of his, who was meant to travel with him, cancelled at the last minute. This friend then asked him to exchange bags because his was larger and he did not want to carry it around with him.

Mr Elghangha said he reluctantly did so and claimed that on landing in Malta he was just as surprised as the Customs Officers to find out there were drugs in the bag.