Etienne Mangion, 30, was found guilty of trafficking cannabis resin and being in possession of heroin in April 1998 and the prior months.

Prosecuting superintendent Neil Harrison told the court that the accused was found with a plastic bag full of heroin and a search of his house resulted in the finding of a small box full of cannabis.

Mangion admitted he had bought four grammes of heroin for Lm100. Therefore, the court noted there was no doubt of his guilt.

A man named Adrian Farrugia testified in the case against Mangion. Although he did not specifically say he bought drugs from Mangion, through a detailed analysis of his words and a mathematical probability sum, the court concluded Mr Farrugia used to buy cannabis from the accused.

The man was therefore found guilty of the charges pressed against him and sentenced to a six-month jail term. He was ordered to pay a Lm200 fine that must be paid in three months or will be converted into an additional 40 days in prison.

Mangion also had to pay Lm35.25 in court expenses.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano presided over the court.