Career criminal Alfred Bugeja, known as Il-Porporina, was jailed for seven years today and fined €11,500 for organising a drug deal from his prison cell.

The 59-year-old was found guilty of conspiring to import two kilogrammes of cocaine, one kilogramme of heroin and around 2,000 ecstasy pills from Holland in May 2002.

Mr Bugeja, who at the time was serving time, had been approached by another prisoner, Emanuel Camilleri, known as Leli l-Bully, and asked to find someone to go with him to Holland and purchase the drugs.

The men were to take $46,000 and Lm7,000 to purchase the drugs and deliver them to Malta.

Mr Bugeja was promised the 2000 ecstasy pills while his accomplice would have received €2,330.

He accepted the offer without hesitation.

The court, presided by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale, heard how heard how Mr Bugeja had made the arrangements upon his release from prison but he was not contacted by Mr Camilleri, who in the meantime had found another partner in crime.

In his judgment, Magistrate Depasquale noted how the consignment of drugs had never made it to Malta after having been intercepted in a joint operation between the Italian and Maltese police.

He also referred to Mr Bugeja’s “never-ending” criminal convictions and noted how Mr Bugeja seemed to have “no respect towards the law”.

Last week, Mr Camilleri was jailed for 11 years and fined €20,000 for his involvement in the same drug deal.