A Nigerian national has opted to conduct his own defence as he faces a trial by jury over his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking racket which was unearthed by the Maltese authorities following the man's arrest at the Malta International Airport in 2012.

Kingsley Wilcox, 35, born in Nigeria and residing in Iklin, stands accused of having conspired to drug trafficking and also to the illegal handling of drugs.

At the opening of the trial, the court, presided by Madame Justice Edwina Grima, heard how the case dated back to October 2, 2012 when Mr Wilcox was stopped by customs officials upon his arrival from Valencia, Spain.

Although no drugs were found in his possession at the time, a subsequent analysis of is mobile phone data by the police revealed that Mr Wilcox had instructed a third party to reserve accommodation at a hotel in Paceville.

A search at this hotel led investigators to the third party, a Spanish man in whose possession the police discovered a considerable amount of cocaine as well as traces of cannabis grass. The drugs were found in two sealed packages inside a luggage and also inside a desk within the same room.

Following this raid, the investigators unearthed a plot which revolved around the importation of cocaine into Malta for the purpose of its onward trafficking. In fact, on the very day of his arrest, Mr Wilcox had intended to meet his Spanish conspirator and to retrieve the consignment against the payment of a considerable sum.

The court heard how the kilo of cocaine that was 36.8% pure was estimated to have a street value of €86,824. The drug was meant to be handed over by the accused and another conspirator to other third parties in Malta involved in the trafficking racket.

Following his arrest, Mr Wilcox had spilled the beans, supplying the authorities with details about the intricacies of the whole set-up and of his involvement in the illegal scheme.

Standing before the judge and jury, Mr Wilcox declared that he would not be assisted by a lawyer but would instead be handling his own defence.

Lawyers Nadia Attard and Kristina Debattista from the AG's office prosecuted.