The appeals’ court yesterday reduced the prison term of a man who was found guilty of drug trafficking from 18 years to 14 years after it found that the punishment imposed was “on the high side”.

On 30 June 2005, Antonio Barbara had been found guilty, in a trial by jury, of cocaine trafficking, possession of cocaine and heroin in circumstances denoting they were not for his personal use between 1997 and 2000.

In handing down his judgment, the court took into consideration that he was found guilty of relapsing, the damage the drugs would have caused society and the quantity of drugs.

As a result, the court jailed Barbara, 32, from Mqabba for a total of 18 years and fined him e41,928.

On 20 July 2005, Barbara filed an appeal which was presided over by Chief Justice Vincent Degaetano, Mr Justice David Scicluna and Mr Justice Joseph Micallef.

The appeals’ court noted that the original punishment should have taken further into consideration that the “corrective aim” behind it and said that it was “on the high side”.

As a result, it reduced Barbara’s jail term from 18 years to 14 years.

Dr Jason Azzopardi and Dr Jose Herrera appeared for Barbara.