A man was jailed and fined after pleading guilty to having trafficked drugs so as to turn a fast penny which he needed to renew his identity card.

Somali-born Mohamed Omar Isse, a 22-year old residing at Marsascala, was of 10 men, rounded up in the course of routine raids in Paceville.

Defence lawyer Francina Abela, assisting as legal aid counsel, explained how her client had resorted to selling drugs when all attempts to get a decent job failed.

After being turned away several times because his ID card had expired and he could therefore not be employed, the man turned to trafficking so as to raise the €80 needed to pay for the renewal of his card.

He was arrested on Sunday when his behaviour on the streets of the entertainment hub aroused the suspicions of police officers on routine patrols.

Those suspicions were confirmed after a search yielded five sachets of cannabis grass and two sachets of cocaine.

On Monday, the young man was marched to court where he immediately admitted to the aggravated possession and trafficking of the drugs within 100 meters of a place where young people habitually met.

In view of the accused’s early guilty plea and his full collaboration with the police, the court, presided over by magistrate Doreen Clarke, condemned him to a 9-month effective jail term and a €700 fine.

The court also ordered the destruction of the illegal substances seized during the arrest.

Sources speaking to the Times of Malta said that the other individuals targeted in the raid were expected to be arraigned at a later date, possibly by summons.

Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone prosecuted.