Eagle-eyed police in St Julian's were vindicated when a suspicious package lying inside an unlocked car turned out to be 100 grams of cannabis, a court heard on Friday. 

Police patrolling St Julian's on Thursday noticed the package after Lesley Ros, a 29-year-old living in Naxxar, left his parked car unlocked and with its interior light still on. 

They lay in wait and confronted Mr Ros once he returned to the vehicle.

Mr Ros insisted the drugs inside the package were intended for his own personal use, but police arrested and prosecuted him for  aggravated possession of the drug, committed within 100 metres of a place visited by youths.

The man was further charged with relapsing.

After pleading not guilty, the man’s lawyer filed a request for bail which was not objected to by the prosecution, so long as adequate security was given.

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale upheld the bail request against a deposit of €2,000, a personal guarantee of €5,000 and an order to sign the bail book three times a week.

A curfew between 8.30pm and 6.30am meant that the man would have to renounce to his part-time job at a bar, with the court insisting that he could only stay out beyond his curfew hours only if this was called for by his regular job as a casino live dealer.

Inspector Nikolai Sant prosecuted. Lawyer Yanica Camilleri was defence counsel.