A man has been jailed for three years, 10 years after he was caught in possession of 15 grams of cocaine during a road block in 2004.

Paul Philip Caruana, 44, from Mosta, was also fined €4,000 after a magistrate noted that although he had reformed and had kicked the drug habit, he still had to pay his dues to society.

Mr Caruana, a Maltese-Australian, was caught during a roadblock in Mill Street, Qormi, on August 3, 2004.

Inside his Peugeot 106, the police found two sachets containing 14.69 grams of cocaine and almost €2,500 in cash.He was charged with possession of cocaine denoting it was not for his personal use.

Mr Caruana told the court that the entire amount was for his personal use. He said he had purchased 15 grams because he was planning on going to Gozo for two weeks.

However, Magistrate Marseann Farrugia found this version as being inconsistent with his drug behaviour. Although he was a "habitual user", his body would not have withstood such an amount in a short period of time.

She found him guilty of possession with intent and jailed him for three years and fined him €4,000.

Police Inspector Pierre Grech prosecuted.