A 16-year-old boy with a learning disability was charged with conspiring to deal in eight-and-a-half kilos of cannabis.

He was one of four people charged in connection with the drug find.

The boy, who is from Zabbar, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him during his arraignment before Magistrate Audrey Demicoli. His parents and sister were present in court.

His lawyers - Gianella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran - requested bail on grounds that he was a minor, had cooperated with police and, while he attended MCAST, he had a learning disability and required a facilitator given that he had the literacy skills of a six-year-old.

The prosecution objected to the granting of bail, due to the serious nature of the crime, but the magistrate granted him bail on condition that he signs daily at the Zabbar police station and be indoors between 6pm and 6am.

She also bound him by a €1,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €3,000. His name is not being published since he is a minor.

The boy was charged together with Slovenian Kristijan Zekic, 32, who also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy. He was denied bail after the magistrate heard how the police were unsure about his identity given that his ID and passports showed different names.

The boy and the man were arrested by Drug Squad police on Sunday afternoon as they left a garage in Zabbar.

In statement issued yesterday, the police said that they found eight-and-a-half kilos of cannabis during the search of the garage and a car.

These arrests led to the arrest of other people in connection with drug importation, the police said.

In another two separate arraignments, 45-year-old Anna Gertrude D'Amico and her brother Antonio, 55, both from Catania, pleaded not guilty to importing the cannabis and conspiracy. They were denied bail.