Customs officers at Malta International Airport intercepted 40 kilograms of cannabis grass on Monday 19 May 2025 in luggage carried by Richard Baxter, a 40-year-old UK national arriving on an Emirates flight from Dubai, Times of Malta reported.[1] Scanner checks had raised suspicion before a search found the haul, the paper said.[1]
Baxter appeared in court on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to importing cannabis grass, conspiring to traffic it and possessing it in circumstances indicating it was not for personal use, and was remanded in custody without bail being requested, Times of Malta reported.[1] Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo upheld a prosecution request for a freezing order on his assets, the paper added.[1]
NETnews, reporting the arraignment on 20 May, said Baxter was from Blackpool and that customs used the airport scanner before handing the case to the drug squad, and that his lawyer did not seek bail because he had no fixed address in Malta.[2] NETnews said he was sent to Corradino Correctional Facility.[2]
Times of Malta published a photograph with its report.[1]
