A man arrested during a major police operation on Friday has been denied bail upon his arraignment on Sunday after pleading not guilty to drug-related offences.

Clayton McKay, a 25-year-old Qormi resident and one of three men taken into custody during last Friday’s crackdown, pleading not guilty to aggravated drug possession as well as to being a relapser.

The court, presided over by magistrate Gabriella Vella, heard how the police had found some 163 grammes of heroin and 91 grammes of cocaine in the suspect’s possession during last Friday’s search.

Back in November 2017, the man had landed a €1,000 fine after he was found guilty of the unlicensed possession of a weapon and of firing the same weapon in an inhabited area.

During Sunday’s arraignment, a request for bail was turned down in view of the fact that civilian witnesses were still to testify, the risk of tampering with evidence, as well as on the basis of the gravity of the offences and the untrustworthy character of the accused.

The court also issued a freezing order upon the accused’s assets, both movable and immovable, upholding a request by his defence counsel to grant him the statutory yearly allowance of some €13,000.

Inspector Anthony Scerri prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia were defence counsel.