Jeffrey Cassar, one of the Maltese men allegedly involved in dumping around €700,000 in cash into the sea off Sicily, has been jailed for five months after breaching bail conditions, Times of Malta has reported.

Cassar was reportedly sentenced by Magistrate Jean Paul Grech last Thursday after being charged with breaching the conditions of his bail, which he was already under when the incident off the coast of Ragusa took place.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of around €3,000 held as personal guarantees in two separate cases involving Cassar.

Cassar's lawyer told Times of Malta that the judgment would be appealed in the coming days and stressed that his client denied any involvement in the Sicily incident.

Cassar was one of three Maltese men aboard a speedboat from which bags containing an estimated €700,000 in banknotes were allegedly thrown into the sea after the vessel reportedly suffered engine trouble near Casuzze, a seaside town in the province of Ragusa.

The money was allegedly dumped overboard as rescuers approached the boat. Some of the bags later drifted towards the shore, where they were found by beachgoers.

Cassar has since returned to Malta. His son, who was also aboard the boat, remains in the custody of Italian authorities, according to reports.

The other two men identified in connection with the speedboat are Sage Gauci and its owner, Owen Jones. Jones was apprehended by Italian authorities before being released, while Gauci has also returned to Malta.

Gauci, through his lawyer, has denied any involvement in the incident. Jones' lawyer, Franco Debono, previously said his client could not confirm whether he was in Sicily at the time but maintained that the money referred to in reports did not belong to him and that he had nothing to do with it.

Maltese police and the Ragusa prosecutor's office have been contacted for comment, while questions have also been sent to the Sicilian coast guard.

Cassar, who has quite the colourful criminal record, has previously been jailed for breaching bail conditions. In 2014, he was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay €21,000 in personal guarantees after breaching bail in three separate cases.

A year later, he was again charged with breaching bail after approaching police in Paceville at around 2am and asking them for a lift home, despite being two hours beyond his court-imposed curfew, and was sentenced to six months in prison.

He has faced a number of criminal charges over the years, including fraud, theft, drug trafficking and money laundering.

In 2012, Cassar was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to defrauding a woman of almost €7,000 to purchase tools.

He later received a 14-month sentence after admitting to stealing from gambling machines in Qawra.

In 2020, he was charged with drug trafficking and money laundering after allegedly being found with 5kg of cannabis and €10,000 in cash.

He also faced further charges following a July 2025 raid on his Mellieħa property, during which drugs were allegedly found.

Sage Gauci has also previously faced serious drug-related charges. In April 2018, when he was 18, Gauci was caught with 10kg of cannabis as well as smaller quantities of heroin and cocaine. He later admitted to drug possession charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021.

The circumstances surrounding the €700,000 cash-dumping incident remain under investigation in Sicily. The Maltese men have denied involvement in the alleged offence, and it is not clear whether Italian authorities are still seeking Cassar or Gauci in connection with the case.