The first trial by jury of the year heard yesterday that a Nigerian man told the police he had no prior knowledge that a suitcase he allegedly carried for a friend contained three kilograms of cocaine.

John Udagha Omeh, 42, arrived on December 9, 2007 on a flight from Tripoli after he left Togo where his old school friend, Simon Oku, allegedly gave him the case, Police Inspector Victor Aquilina testified.

He said he had received a call from Customs officers at the airport who had discovered a small package hidden at the bottom of Mr Omeh's black and grey Samsonite travel bag. A second was discovered by court-appointed expert, pharmacist Mario Mifsud at the police headquarters, the witness added.

Mr Omeh is pleading not guilty to conspiring to import cocaine, importing it and being in possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his exclusive use.

Mr Mifsud testified that a total of three kilograms of cocaine were found. The substance had a purity of 61.2 per cent and a street value of €229,664.

Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, who is presiding over the trial, asked the witness whether the purity rate was unusually high. Mr Mifsud said it was, explaining that the average was between 40 and 50 per cent.

Inspector Aquilina said that at the time the Customs officers were unpacking the bag, Mr Omeh was asked whether it belonged to him and he said it was his friend's, Mr Oku. In fact, it had been locked and the key could not be found, so the Customs officers broke it open after the accused told them he did not object to that happening.

In a police statement two days later, Mr Omeh said he dealt in vehicle spare parts and wanted to come to Malta to do business here. At Togo airport he met Mr Oku whom he had not seen for years. Mr Oku told him he too had planned to fly to Malta but there was a problem with his ticket and so he would not be able to make it.

He said Mr Oku begged him to take a travel bag with him to Malta, saying it belonged to a friend of his, Chief Joe Uka, who would then collect it on arrival. Mr Omeh said he accepted but had no idea that the bag contained drugs.

Inspector Aquilina said he checked Mr Omeh's mobile phone and found a Maltese number. When he asked the accused about it he changed his version twice. At first he said it belonged to a person he had met on a previous business trip to Malta and then said it belonged to the person to whom he had to give the bag.

Mr Omeh told the police he was given instructions to find a hotel on arrival and then call his friend, Mr Oku, for further instructions.

The officer said he set up a controlled delivery but this was unsuccessful as the person who was meant to get the bag never turned up.

All witnesses were heard yesterday and both parties began their closing arguments.

Defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud reiterated what his client had told the police in his statement, that he had no prior knowledge of the drugs. "There is no criminal intent", he insisted.

Prosecuting lawyer Jason Grima, from the Attorney General's Office, making his debut in a trial by jury, rebutted such arguments and said the facts of the case all point towards Mr Omeh and his knowledge of the drugs.

Dr Grima said the accused had in fact conspired with Mr Oku to bring the drugs to Malta and pass them on to a third person to traffic them.

The trial is expected to end tomorrow.

Lawyer Aaron Bugeja also appeared for the Attorney General.