A suspected drug trafficker identified by a customs sniffer dog last September has been granted bail, four months after a previous request had been refused.

Pedro Henrique Correia De Sousa, 36, from Setubal, Portugal, currently stands charged with having imported some five kilos of cannabis as well as cocaine, which he failed to prove was intended for personal use.

The man was checked upon his arrival at the Malta International Airport on a flight from Madrid, after the sniffer dog indicated the suspect during routine checks on passengers.

A personal search of the man and a screening of his luggage had yielded four packets of cannabis weighing some 5 kilos.

The suspect had subsequently been arraigned, pleading not guilty and had been remanded in custody after his bail request was turned down.

Four months down the line, a fresh request for bail was upheld under a number of conditions laid down by the court, presided over by magistrate Doreen Clarke on Thursday, against a deposit of €10,000, and a third party guarantee for €15,000.

The accused was also ordered to sign the bail book on a daily basis and to abide by a curfew between 6pm and 6am.

When granting bail, the court took note of the previous conduct of the accused, the stage of the ongoing proceedings as well as the circumstances of the case.

Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone prosecuted. Lawyer Roberto Montalto was defence counsel.

The case continues.