Carmel Polidano, the owner of the Mercedes in which 15 kg of cocaine was found in the gas tank, and his son Chris, chose not to take the witness stand in the case against a man charged with trying to import the drugs.
Joseph Rodney Grima, a 23 year-old Gozitan man from Ghajnsielem, stands charged with importation and possession of 15 kg of cocaine which was found in a Mercedes car on the ferry. The prosecution said that the accused had requested the Mercedes he was driving to be towed due to mechanical problems. The cause of the mechanical fault was believed to be the drugs stored in the fuel tank.
Both Polidanos are assisted by Dr Franco Debono, and both took the stand briefly just to inform the court that they refused to testify so as to not incriminate themselves.
The Court heard how the accused, together with Chris Polidano, and a third person called Hamid, took the Mercedes owned by Carmel Polidano up to Hockenheim to watch a drag race.
The accused then drove the car back, however the other two did not come along. The car then stopped and failed to start in Macon, France.
The Court heard testimony from a police sergeant, who said that 4 car transport trucks had disembarked from the ferries that landed in Malta, and that together with customs personnel, they inspected the cars and trucks. One car’s owner was not immediately identifiable, and he was ordered to keep an eye on it. The driver of the truck told the Sergeant that he was asked to pick up the car in Macon, France, by his boss, after the car had broken down. The car was driven by the accused, Mr Grima. The owner was later identified as Carmel Polidano.
Police went to Polidano’s house, asking Mr Polidano whether he owned the vehicle. Mr Polidano refused to say anything except that he had bought it from the car dealer. He said that the car was loaned to a friend, Mr Grima, for a holiday.
Testifying, the truck Driver, Paul Cassar, also took the stand, and told the court that when he found Mr Grima, he unloaded a Renault off the truck, which was then driven by Mr Grima, and the Mercedes was then loaded onto the truck. He said they headed to Genoa. He said that Mr Grima slept briefly inside the Mercedes. The truck was then loaded onto the ferry headed to Malta. The Renault, however, could not be loaded as the ferry would not allow loose cars in the on-board garage. He said that the keys were then given to the boat personnel, and he took a flight back to Malta.
The driver’s boss corroborated this story, saying that he would pay for employees to fly back rather than stay on the ferry.
Mr Cassar also said that in order to gain access to the garage on the ferry, one would need to ask permission from the Captain, who would then send a crew member to escort the person down to the garage.
The Court heard how tests were performed on the car, and during a manual inspection, 20 packets of cocaine were extracted from one tank, 16 from another. Once the packets were removed, the car engine could be switched on. Both Chris Polidano and the accused were present for the inspection.
The prosecution indicated that Macon was a four-hour detour from Hockenheim to Genoa, the route the men originally drove to see the drag race.
Inspector Jonathan Cassar from the drugs squad testified that the arrest had been planned after police had been reliably informed that the vehicle in question would probably be carrying drugs.
Police also searched Grima’s home, where bullet cartridges were found, however the defendant said they belonged to his brother, and the police admitted that they had not checked whether his brother has a gun licence or spoken with him about it yet.
The case continues in September.