A man caught selling drugs outside the Detox Centre in 2006 was jailed for 30 months and fined €2,000.

Magistrate Marseann Farrugia sentenced Silvano Cilia, 40, of Safi, after hearing he was caught red-handed selling drugs outside the Detox Centre, in Guardamangia, a place frequented by drug users who go there regularly for methadone.

The court heard that the police were monitoring the centre when, at about 6am on October 22, 2006, they saw the accused speaking to another person. When he saw the police, he threw a foil container on the ground. Inside it, the police found nine sachets of a brown substance later found to be heroin.

During interrogation, Mr Cilia told the police he had been using drugs for five years and heroin, in particular, from eight months before he was caught but he had managed to stop. For about four months before his arrest, he went regularly to the Detox Centre for methadone.

Court experts told the court the nine sachets of heroin found in his possession weighed a total of 1.46 grams. Six of them weighed 0.2 grams, the usual dose used by a heroin addict.

The magistrate noted that Mr Cilia had no fewer than 12 convictions, including three over aggravated theft, one for assaulting the police, slightly injuring a police officer and grievously injuring another man.

Despite being given several chances to reform, Mr Cilia never took the opportunity, the court said.

Apart from the jail term and the fine, he was given six months to pay €460 in court expenses.

Police Inspector Nezren Grixti prosecuted.