A court was told on Tuesday that the amount of drugs stolen from the AFM compound in Safi last month was 132kilogrammes, not 226kg, as originally thought.

Details of the heist of cannabis resin on 23 February started being given in court, as the compilation of evidence against five men and a woman began.

Investigators said that footage showed people entering the barracks three times through a hole in the fence, carrying the suspected drugs in shopping baskets to a car that was waiting outside the perimeter.

Sean Attard, from Żebbuġ, Carlos Pace from Marsa, Yousef Essesi from St Paul's Bay, Cleaven Pace, from Marsa, Liam Stewart, from Pieta and Christa Gauci have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

Testifying in court, Police Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca said that the Customs Department in June 2024 seized a container at the freeport that was suspected to contain undeclared merchandise.

The container had arrived from Morocco and was on its way to Libya. Documents showed it contained six industrial induction ovens, but scans revealed irregularities and over two days the ovens were dismantled, with authorities finding a total of 4299.5 kilogrammes of cannabis resin.

The drugs were kept in a container that was sealed and placed in Customs compound with 24/7 armed police surveillance. But following industrial action at Customs on 16 January, the drugs were moved, with permission from the court, and taken to the AFM barracks in Safi, the court heard.

The inspector said he was present with a team of police officers to escort the truck. The drugs were taken to AFM by a private haulier escorted by police. This was a decision taken by the court registrar as the drugs were in the court's custody.

On 23 February he was informed by phone from AFM officers on duty at Safi at 3.40am that the container had been opened and items stolen. He went on site with members of the Rapid Intervention Unit and the forensic unit. The container was found open and the seals had been detached. The container was resealed and locked.

The inspector told the court that during the investigation he noticed a hole cut in the fence, and a flashlight was found nearby. CCTV footage showed people entering the compound, open the container, and load the drugs in a car, the court heard.

It was initially determined that 226kg were missing, but forensic examiners later found that 132kg was the amount stolen and not 226kg.

In the course of their investigations, the police gathered CCTV footage from streets, shops and houses in the vicinity of the crime. The police established that the car that was used was a Toyota Belta that was registered under the name of a woman, who told investigators it was being used by Essesi.

The trail of CCTV showed the Belta drive along various streets until it arrived at a garage in Zebbug. It was being followed by a Toyota Vitz.

Two people who had entered the compound were in the Belta along with the driver.

Forensic experts established that DNA on the flashlights found at the barracks was of Carlos Pace and Essesi. Sean Attard was at the wheel, the court heard.

Cleaven Pace and Christa Gauci were in a Vitz but drove in another direction when the Belta entered the Zebbug garage.

The inspector said that drugs found in the possession of the accused were similar to those that were being kept in the container.

The drug seizure at Customs was the first find of cannabis resin found packaged in squared packages made of multiple 100-gram layers referred to as 'passports' due to the shape and size. Each block was about 1kg, the court was told.

Replying to questions, the inspector said Cleaven Pace and Christa Gauci went to the police after hearing they were looking for them. No drugs were found on them. Both denied involvement in the theft.

One of the accused, Essesi took police to a field in St Julian's where he had hidden a shopping bag containing 10 blocks of drugs, the inspector added.  Essesi told police some of the drugs had been given to third parties.

Police Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna told Magistrate Elaine Rizzo that during investigations, the police were informed on February 25 that Liam Stewart, who drove a Toyota Vitz, could be moving drugs that had been stolen from the barracks. Stewart was arrested as he was driving in Ħamrun.

A bag containing three blocks of suspected drugs was found in the engine room of the lift on the roof of the apartment where Stewart lived.

Another block was found in Stewart's apartment along with drug-related items like weighing scales, spoons and plastic bags. In separate drawers in a bedroom, they found €1,700 and €1,150 in cash.

Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud also testified. He said that when he went on site, he had found a broken fence near the container.

Sean Attard was the first to be arrested, he said, on Tuesday after the theft. Police searched a garage while both Attard and his mother were present, the court heard. There were shopping bags which were the same as those seen on CCTV footage, Arnaud said. The court heard that 16 packets of suspected cannabis resin were found in one bag, 11 packets in another, and 8 in another.

Two bags with 16 and 17 blocks of cannabis resin were found in Pace's Qormi garage, the court heard.

Among other who testified was Dr. Godwin Sammut, a laboratory expert from the University of Malta also testified. He confirmed that the specified laboratory which conducted tests on the drugs stolen was not accredited when questioned by defence lawyer Franco Debono. Sammut said that there were no local or EU requirements for the lab to be accredited when it comes to examining drug content.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Matthew Xuereb, Marion Camilleri, Amadeus Cachia, Andreana Zammi appeared for the accused.

Police Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca, Alfredo Mangion and Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa prosecuted along with Attorney General lawyer Francesca Spiteri.