A hawker was today charged with growing a dozen cannabis plants in the basement of his house in Mosta.

Brian Zammit, who turns 40 on Friday, was charged with growing the plants and with being in possession of cannabis which was found in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use. He was also charged with the simple possession of cocaine.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard defence lawyer Edward Gatt argue that his client was pleading not guilty to the charges but claimed that he had only chosen this plea because of the aggravating circumstances given in the charges issued by the police.

He said his client was not a drug trafficker and neither was he someone with a never-ending criminal record.

The magistrate granted him bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a €4,000 personal guarantee. She also ordered him to sign the bail book three times a week and, as custom with these cases, issued a seizure order on all his assets.

Police Inspectors Nikolai Sant and Justine Grech prosecuted.