“I got to know the accused through his mother, and he started giving me heroin for free. Once, at Christmas time he told me he had a gift for me, which he gave me at his house after first picking up some syringes at the Gzira health clinic. The present was heroin,” said a Palestinian refugee during a trial which started yesterday.
Stanley Chircop, from Zebbug and residing in Fgura, is standing trial over drug related charges.
Mr Chircop, 38, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to trade in drugs, trafficking in, and being in possession of, cocaine and heroin between February 1997 and June 1998, and November and December 1997 respectively, before Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo.
The Palestinian, Mahmoud Dawal Awel, said Mr Chircop started giving him heroin for free. However, after a few months Mr Chircop said he would give him the drug for free only on condition that he started selling to third parties.
Mr Awel testified that he had seen the accused weighing and dividing 35 grammes of heroin into seven sachets, and that Mr Chircop used to receive calls from many people who wanted to buy drugs from him.
He said he wanted to stop using drugs as he realised that he did not achieve the peace of mind he wanted to enjoy in Malta after leaving his homeland, due to the war between Palestine and Israel.
Defence lawyer Joe Brincat insinuated that the witness had released his statement implicating Mr Chircop, as he was aware that his admission would land him a lighter sentence with the opportunity to attend a rehabilitation programme.
The prosecution, led by Dr Aaron Bugeja, produced testimony given by Norman Mayo on 9 November 1998 during the compilation of evidence against Mr Chircop before then-magistrate Carol Peralta.
Mr Mayo, who is currently abroad, said he used to deal in cocaine in order to finance his own cocaine habit, as well as to pay alimony to his wife and their children.
The witness said he twice bought 50 grammes of cocaine at e69.88 (Lm30) per gramme from Mr Chircop between February and August 1997 at Hal Far. He also said he first met the accused at Wied iz-Zurrieq, Qrendi who was in the company of Emanuel Camilleri, known as Leli l-Bully.
A man, whose name cannot be mentioned by court order, testified that he used to buy cocaine from the accused and use it together with another friend. The witness said he met the accused about six times and each time bought approximately five grammes of cocaine.
Superintendent Neil Harrison testified that his team had apprehended Michael Sciberras, who used to deal in cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana on 6 July 1998. He also used to abuse cocaine. Mr Sciberras told the police he bought cocaine from the accused during Summer 1997 and between April and July 1998.
Referring to the accused, he said that when arrested, he was in possession of weighing scales. The accused told the police that the scales belonged to his wife and he had used them to weigh some gold belonging to a friend of his. Mr Chircop had admitted to buying heroin twice from an Arab for his personal use.
In his opening submission, Dr Bugeja said Mr Chircop supplied several pushers with cocaine, while supplying Mr Awel with heroin. He said the police started investigating Mr Chircop after a number of successful raids on drug pushers who admitted buying their wares from the accused. He told the jurors to take into consideration that a number of people would testify that they bought illegal substances from Mr Chircop, even though he was never found in possession of any illegal substances.
Dr Aaron Bugeja and Dr Lara Lanfranco prosecuted, while Dr Joe Brincat appeared for the accused.