A woman accused of importing 5,000 ecstasy pills into Malta four years ago is still on the run after slipping through the fingers of the Metropolitan Police.

The 52-year old, Rita Bugeja, had been arrested at Luqa airport in 2006 with a massive stash of ecstasy pills hidden in a teddy bear. She was arraigned and eventually granted bail but in November 2007, a day before her trial, she went missing.

Her family reported her missing but the police immediately suspected she had fled and issued a European arrest warrant.

Nine months later she was arrested in Whitechapel, London and was arraigned again before the Westminster Magistrates' Court. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed she was granted bail again in November 2008 but fled for the second time.

"She subsequently failed to attend Limehouse Police Station later that month, as was required by her bail conditions, and inquiries were begun to trace her. She has not yet been traced and remains wanted," the Metropolitan Police said.

The local police were hoping to have the woman deported, Drugs Squad head Neil Harrison said.

"After a lengthy process... we decided that two policemen would fly there to escort her back," he said. "We had just bought two flight tickets at the government's expense when we received a phone call from the Metropolitan Police informing us that when they went to arrest her, they could not find her."

Ms Bugeja was born in London but lived in Qormi.

kbugeja@timesofmalta.com