A 40-year-old man from San Gwann was yesterday jailed for seven months and fined Lm250, after he was found guilty of being in possession of heroin almost nine years ago.

Paul Spagnol was found guilty of being in possession of about 21 packets of heroin weighing about 2.228 grams in total. He was also found guilty of relapsing.

The court heard that the drugs had been found in a packet of cigarettes that was found lying just beneath one of the windows of Spagnol’s apartment in San Gwann.

The police had also found yellow tape and a black bag outside the apartment, which looked similar to the material that the drugs were wrapped in.

In a statement given to the police, the accused had said that the tape and plastic bag that were found outside his apartment, belonged to him.

The court also heard that the packet of cigarettes containing the drugs could not have possibly been discarded by another person. Moreover, the packet of cigarettes was the only item beneath the window and it did not appear that it had been discarded long before it was found.

The court concluded that the accused’s testimony was not credible. He had said that had he discarded the packet of cigarettes himself, it would have landed above garages in the area. However, this was unconvincing, considering that the object discarded weighed a little bit more than two grams.

The court found that by giving this version of the facts, the accused had revealed his real intention.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano presided over the case and Police Superintendent Neil Harrison prosecuted.