A young man arrested last Sunday for alleged drug possession was granted bail after a Magistrates’ Court observed that he had a fixed residence albeit inside a garage.

Adrian Zammit, 22, from San Gwann, pleaded not guilty to charges of cocaine possession as well as the aggravated possession of cannabis after being arrested on Sunday in the wake of a surveillance operation by the Drugs Squad in St Julian's.

Some 250 grammes of suspected cannabis and cocaine, apparently intended for trafficking, were discovered in the course of the police operation. A set of digital scales, a number of plastic sachets and €600 in cash, were also found in the man's possession, according to a police statement issued after the arrest.

The young man was also charged with driving a car without a valid insurance cover or a road licence, driving with false number plates as well as with having committed an offence during the operative period of a suspended prison sentence.

In reply to the request for bail put forward by the defence, the prosecution voiced its concern over the fact that the accused had openly declared that he resided in a garage. Even the charge sheet cited the San Gwann garage as the man's address, he said.

“This is his residence...that’s where he lives. There are no civilian witnesses who can be suborned,” argued lawyer Franco Debono, assisting the accused.

The court upheld the request for bail, releasing the man from custody against a deposit of €2,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000.

Inspector Gabriel Micallef prosecuted.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia were defence counsel.

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