A 30-year-old woman was charged with trafficking in cocaine yesterday after the police allegedly found about 20 drug-filled sachets hidden in chair legs in her Msida apartment.

Muriel Micallef pleaded not guilty to the charge and to the simple possession of cannabis in her home located close to a school.

She was also charged with relapsing and breaching the conditions of a previous release.

On Monday the police issued a statement about Ms Micallef’s arrest in which they said her apartment had been searched after being under observation for a while on suspicion that drugs were being sold there.

The police said they found 20 cocaine sachets hidden in the legs of a chair. Each satchet contained about half a gramme of cocaine.

During yesterday’s arraignment, held before Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna, Ms Micallef’s defence lawyer Franco Debono questioned why the prosecution had charged her under arrest.

He argued that similar cases had been dealt with by sending a court summons to the accused, telling them to turn up in court, without arresting them. The lawyer also requested bail for his client.

Police Inspector Pierre Grech pointed out that the law allowed the police to use their discretion when determining whether to charge a person under arrest. This case deserved such an arraignment. He objected that Ms Muscat should be granted bail and pointed out that she was being charged with breaching the conditions of a previous case.

Magistrate Apap Bologna granted her bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000 and no deposit.