An Italian who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking was today jailed for eight years and fined €15,000.

Claudio Porsenna, 36, averted a trial by jury by pleading guilty to conspiring to traffic 2.5 kg of cannabis.

However, an attempt at plea bargaining then failed because the Attorney General requested a seven-year jail term, 14 times above that received by his co-accused, his lawyers Steve Tonna Lowell and Joe Giglio told a court on Monday.

This request, they argued before Mr Justice Lawrence Quintano, amounted to discrimination against the Italian.

The prosecution, however, argued that the other man received a lesser sentence because he had collaborated with the police.

On May 3, 2003, this man, whose name cannot be published by court order, was arrested in relation to drugs offences and made a statement to police in which he named Mr Porsenna as being involved.

The Maltese man then pleaded guilty in court to trafficking two kilogrammes of cannabis and was jailed for a year.

On appeal, his prison term was reduced to six months.

19 YEARS IMPRISONMENT

In separate judgements, Mr Justice Quintanao this afternoon also jailed two foreigners for 19 years for importing drugs.

Stehehn Nana Owusu of Ghana was jailed for 11 years for importing 800 grams of heroin which were found in 74 capsules hidden in his stomach. He was arrested after flying in from Brussels on July 13, 2009. He was also fined €30,000.

Toureay Sana, from Gambia, was jailed for eight years and fined €15,000 for importing cocaine hidden in the soles of the shoes he was wearing, and another pair of shoes in his luggage.