A man was yesterday cleared of drug trafficking but found guilty of drug possession and was fined Lm300.

Richard Cilia, 35, was found guilty of drug possession after he admitted, in his statement to the police, that he was a drug addict and had been abusing of cocaine and heroin in the nine months before 7 February 1999.

The court heard how the police noticed a pick-up van being driven in the direction of Gnejna Bay. Inside the van, there was the defendant and another man. Suspecting that they could be up to something, the police decided to follow them and they surprised them abusing of drugs together.

However, the court was also told that cocaine and heroin was found in the other man’s possession and that the defendant had no drugs on him.

Handing down his judgement, magistrate Lawrence Quintano said that the testimony of the other man (whose name is not being published since he still has pending criminal proceedings in connection with this case) show that Cilia was not sharing drugs. Sharing drugs amounts to drug trafficking.

Magistrate Quintano said the court was giving Cilia the benefit of the doubt because the money found in the pick-up when the police searched the car was not the defendant’s and that since it was his first arrest, Cilia could have been influenced by what he was told to say by the other man.

Cilia was therefore cleared of drug trafficking and was fined Lm300 for cocaine and heroin possession.

If it is not paid, the fine will be converted to 60 days in jail.

Police inspector Nicholas Ciappara prosecuted while Dr Edward Gatt and Dr Anglu Farrugia appeared for Cilia.