Two men have been charged with a series of thefts from a Bulebel factory.

41 year-old Elvis Falzon from Fgura who works in a family business and Robert Borg, a 46-year old delivery man from Tarxien, were arrested after police spotted them acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the factory which had been the target of a spate of thefts.

The pair was charged with a string of thefts of toy products. The charges were aggravated by means, place, value and time. They were also charged with attempted theft and handling stolen property.

Prosecuting Inspector Roderick Attard told presiding magistrate Nadine Lia how the police had received several reports of thefts from the factory. The factory's owner had requested that the site be placed under police surveillance.

Sure enough, the two men were spotted acting suspiciously close to one of the factory trucks. The officers arrested the suspects and took them in for questioning.

Both men requested bail.                                                          

Lawyer Gabriel Farrugia, assisting Falzon, explained that for the last few years Falzon had suffered from drug dependency, but was now taking treatment daily. The accused had moved in with his parents so as to constantly be under their supervision.

Legal aid counsel Graziella Tanti, assisting Borg, explained that her client took care of his sick mother. Borg was also being treated for drug abuse, and had made "enormous improvement," she said, warning that he risked losing his job if denied bail.

The prosecution, which was also assisted by Superintendent Josric Mifsud, told the court that the stolen items were of considerable value.

The magistrate rejected the request for bail, citing "a real risk" of them tampering with evidence.

The court requested that the Director of Prisons provide the two accused men with the help they required to address their drug dependency problem.