A Nigerian woman and a Maltese man were today arraigned over their roles in a 3kg cocaine drug bust. The Nigerian, Rachael Fred, who lives in Italy, was arrested on arrival to Malta on the catamaran from Pozzallo on Sunday. 3kilos of cocaine were found in the bottom of her suitcase.

The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty as the charges were read out before Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia. No request for bail was made and the women was remanded in custody.

The second person to be charged over the drugs haul was Christopher Polidano, 35, from Safi, who accepted the package brought over by the woman during a controlled delivery organised by the police in St Julians.

The court heard that, as police officers tried to arrest Mr Polidano, the accused jumped into a car and tried to escape, mounting a pavement. He hit a number of cars in the process and only stopped after hitting an electricity pole. Mr Polidano, who sported a black eye, denied the charges.

The arraignment took more than two hours because defence lawyer Franco Debono noted that the prosecution order issued by the Attorney General's office contained the wrong law. Dr Debono requested that his client be immediately released and the charges dropped because the proceedings were null. Magistrate Farrugia allowed Police Inspector Gabriel Micallef some time to consult the AG's office. When the sitting continued, Inspector Micallef walked in with the corrected document and admitting the mistake. 

 

The Magistrate granted bail to Mr Polidano against a deposit of €10,000 and a personal guarantee of €20,000.