A man accused of drug trafficking, who skipped bail and fled abroad, has appeared in court again after being arrested in Spain while on the run.

Police Inspector Nikolai Sant presented 44-year old Rosario Caruso under arrest before magistrate Doreen Clarke this afternoon. Caruso had been arrested in Tenerife on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant, having absconded from Malta while on bail for drug trafficking charges.

He had originally been arrested in 2014 after being apprehended at the airport in possession of six kilogrammes of cannabis. He was subsequently charged with drug trafficking.

Caruso, a Sicilian, was escorted back to Malta last night after Spanish police traced him to his Tenerife residence.

Lawyers Giannella Demarco and Gianluca Caruana Curran are defence counsel.

The court allocated the case to Magistrate Neville Camilleri, who will resume presiding the proceedings against him on Tuesday.