An unwitting drug mule has been found not guilty by a court of smuggling heroin hidden in a quilt to her imprisoned ex-partner.

Maria Grech, 57, from Cospicua was given the quilt and a pair of jeans by the prisoner’s mother, Anna Grima.

The drugs were discovered in the quilt by a sniffer dog after a second search, and prison warders noted that the seams on the quilt where the drugs were hidden were different from those on the rest of the quilt.

Ms Grech told the court that the mother had asked her to take numerous items to her son Alan Grima prior to the quilt incident on 22 December 2006.

She denied knowing that any drugs were hidden in the quilt. She told the court that she had been seeing Alan Grima for a while, but broke off the relationship when he was sent to prison for stealing in order to fund his drug habit.

Ms Grech said her ex-partner’s mother asked her to take the quilt to prison as a favour, as her husband’s car had broken down.

The mother admitted giving the quilt to Ms Grech but denied secreting any drugs in it.

The court heard how Ms Grech picked up the quilt at around 9:30-10:30am, and arrived at the Kordin prison at around 10:00-10:30am.

In handing down her judgement, Magistrate Natasha Galea Scibberas said that the short time-frame makes it unlikely that the accused hid the drugs in the quilt herself.

Prison warders who testified in court said that the prisoner was unusually anxious to get his hands on the quilt.

A number of other prisoners also asked for the quilt to be handed over, with one warder saying drily in court that it was not normal for such a fuss to be made over a single quilt.

The court said that Ms Grech was always consistent in denying any knowledge about the drugs, and her testimony was credible and consistent.

She was cleared of all charges.