A supermarket employee who received three kilogrammes of cannabis at his workplace has been denied bail after pleading not guilty to charges against him. 

Ethiopian-born Towfik Shikur Hussein, 26, residing at Msida and currently working at a local supermarket after being granted humanitarian status, was arraigned on Wednesday after police discovered the cannabis hidden inside a package said to contain souvenirs from Ethiopia. 

Police were alerted to the suspicious package following a tip-off from postal authorities.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, Mr Hussein pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking conspiracy, importation and possession of cannabis grass.

In view of his client’s not guilty plea, lawyer Joseph Ellis filed a request for bail, pointing out that not only did the man have a stable job in Malta, but his humanitarian status also restricted his movement, making it very difficult for him to leave the island.

However, prosecuting Inspector Jonathan Cassar objected to this request, citing the amount of drugs involved and the fact that Mr Hussein had a wife in Canada.

Moreover, there were still civilian witnesses to testify, which meant that the tampering of evidence was a real risk.

In the light of all circumstances, duty magistrate Francesco Depasquale turned down the request for bail, deeming it premature at this stage of the proceedings especially in view of the gravity of the charges and the fact that evidence was still to be gathered.