With a verdict of seven votes in favour and two against, jurors declared a Nigerian national guilty of his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy which came to light back in 2010.

After six hours of deliberation, jurors returned a guilty verdict again Ikechukwu Stephen Egbo, condemning him to a prison term of 13 years and a fine of €30,000.

The court heard how Mr Egbo, 38, had been arrested in the course of a controlled delivery conducted by police in Sliema back in November 2010. A few days earlier, police at Malta International Airport arrested a passenger who had just landed on a flight from Düsseldorf. The man was found to have been carrying inside his stomach some 60 capsules containing around 600 grams of cocaine having a street value of about €44,266.

Acting in tandem with a Romanian drug courier named Attila Somlyai, the police had set up the controlled operation in Sliema which led to the arrest of the consignee, namely Mr Egbo.

Although upon his arraignment on conspiracy to import cocaine, the accused had been denied bail he was eventually released from custody at a later stage, under strict bail conditions.

However, his failure to turn up for court sittings in December 2015 had led the authorities to discover that the man had absconded from the island. He was eventually traced in Hungary where he was arrested and remanded to Malta in March 2016 under the strength of a European Arrest Warrant.

Madame Justice Edwina Grima presided over the trial.

Lawyers Simon Micallef Stafrace and Marc Sant were defence counsel.

Lawyer Giannella Busuttil from the AG’s office prosecuted.