Herb Fellow
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Paul Muscat, the 59 year old accused of drug possession and trafficking, told police he started cultivating cannabis in his fields after finding a matchbox containing seeds, which he sowed to find out what would grow out of them.
The police statement was read out in court during the first day of Muscat's trial by jury, in which he is being accused of being in possession of over 19 kilograms cannabis, estimated to be worth over €46,000. The first to take the witness stand were the police involved in the operation which led to the Gozitan man's arrest on 16 December 2003.
Following a tip off, a number of police investigators started surveilling the accused's residence in Nadur, Gozo, and his fields in Qala and Nadur. On 16 December, the accused was observed leaving his home riding a small motorcycle and going towards his fields in Nadur. From here he returned home carrying a sack, which appeared to be quite full. Some time later the accused was back out of the house, this time riding his bike towards Nadur. In his fields in Wied Bingemma, the accused was observed dropping the sack behind a rubble wall. It was here that police stepped in and arrested him. In the bag they found eight bags of cannabis resin, police testified.
Later in the same afternoon, police searched the accused's house. During the seach, the accused was seen throwing a cardboard box from a top floor room down to an empty plot of land below. Police recovered the box and found more packets containing cannabis. The next day, police also searched the accused's fields in Nadur. Here they found three blue 45 gallon tanks containing dried cannabis plants.
Initially, the accused denied ownership of the drugs, but later, he accepted to make a police statement in which he admitted that the cannabis belonged to him. He explained that he started cultivating cannabis after finding a matchbox full of seeds. He sowed 12 of them to find out what kind of seeds they were. He then discovered that the plants were cannabis. He also told police that he was going to pass on the drugs to other persons, who were to pay him €5,500 for four kilograms.
Judge Joe Galea Debono is presiding the trial. Dr Lara Lanfranco is prosecuting, while Dr Joe Brincat is representing the accused.
Source: The Malta Star
Copyright: 2008, The Malta Star
Contact: Staff
Website: maltaStar.com
The police statement was read out in court during the first day of Muscat's trial by jury, in which he is being accused of being in possession of over 19 kilograms cannabis, estimated to be worth over €46,000. The first to take the witness stand were the police involved in the operation which led to the Gozitan man's arrest on 16 December 2003.
Following a tip off, a number of police investigators started surveilling the accused's residence in Nadur, Gozo, and his fields in Qala and Nadur. On 16 December, the accused was observed leaving his home riding a small motorcycle and going towards his fields in Nadur. From here he returned home carrying a sack, which appeared to be quite full. Some time later the accused was back out of the house, this time riding his bike towards Nadur. In his fields in Wied Bingemma, the accused was observed dropping the sack behind a rubble wall. It was here that police stepped in and arrested him. In the bag they found eight bags of cannabis resin, police testified.
Later in the same afternoon, police searched the accused's house. During the seach, the accused was seen throwing a cardboard box from a top floor room down to an empty plot of land below. Police recovered the box and found more packets containing cannabis. The next day, police also searched the accused's fields in Nadur. Here they found three blue 45 gallon tanks containing dried cannabis plants.
Initially, the accused denied ownership of the drugs, but later, he accepted to make a police statement in which he admitted that the cannabis belonged to him. He explained that he started cultivating cannabis after finding a matchbox full of seeds. He sowed 12 of them to find out what kind of seeds they were. He then discovered that the plants were cannabis. He also told police that he was going to pass on the drugs to other persons, who were to pay him €5,500 for four kilograms.
Judge Joe Galea Debono is presiding the trial. Dr Lara Lanfranco is prosecuting, while Dr Joe Brincat is representing the accused.
Source: The Malta Star
Copyright: 2008, The Malta Star
Contact: Staff
Website: maltaStar.com
