A man was jailed for eight years and fined Lm8,000 yesterday after he pleaded guilty to trafficking in cannabis.

On Tuesday, Walter John Cassar, 28, from Xaghra, Gozo, was due to stand trial for trafficking in cannabis, but he pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.

He was found guilty of trafficking in more than three and a half kilogrammes of cannabis, valued at almost Lm4,000, on 16 December 2003.

According to the bill of indictment, he had collected the drugs from someone in Xaghra and planned to deliver them to another person, from whom he would have received payment. He would then have passed on the money to the first person and would have received a considerable percentage of the total amount.

While transporting the drugs by car, Cassar was stopped by the police and found to be in possession of several boxes and bags containing the drugs.

In handing down judgement, Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono took into consideration the various disappointments in the accused’s career as a caterer and the fact that he was badly influenced by a person who was much older than him.

The court judgement also took into consideration the accused’s early guilty plea, the fact he cooperated with the police and the fact that the crime was carried out on one occasion.

On Tuesday, witnesses told the court that the accused had undergone rehabilitation and was a changed man, particularly following the recent loss of his mother. The judgement also mentioned the fact that Cassar had worked very hard to become a professional restaurateur.

While the law provides that such a crime should be punishable by life imprisonment, Mr Justice Galea Debono said such a punishment should not be applied when considering the age of the accused, his criminal record and other circumstances.

In such cases, the court can jail a person for a period between four years and 30 years and a fine between Lm1,000 and Lm50,000. However, this particular case could have easily been heard before a magistrate, avoiding unnecessary delays and extra court expenses, the judgement stated.

Nonetheless, the court had to take into consideration the seriousness of the case, particularly since considerable amounts of cannabis would have increased the prevalence of drugs in society had the police not stemmed the activity.

Cassar was jailed for eight years and the time spent in preventive custody will be deducted from this period. He was also fined Lm8,000, which he will have to pay within 15 days, failing which they will be converted into a 12-month prison term.

Senior Counsel to the Republic Stephen Tonna Lowell prosecuted. Dr Giannella Caruana Curran and Dr Emmanuel Mallia appeared for the accused.