Two men pleaded not guilty in Malta on Monday to drug charges including trafficking in cocaine and cannabis.[1] Solomon Haile, 32, from Eritrea and Mohammed Eisa, 25, from Somalia were arraigned before Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi.[1] Both were accused of cocaine possession and trafficking within 100 metres of a youth-gathering space.[1] Haile alone was also charged with cannabis possession in amounts indicating it was not for personal use, selling cannabis without a proper licence, and recidivism.[1]

Inspector Francesco Mizzi told the court that drug squad officers were watching people in St Julian’s who were interacting suspiciously with each other.[1] Police moved in when they saw Haile and Eisa interacting with a third person, and told the two men their rights.[1] At the moment of arrest Eisa was caught discarding a sachet containing a white substance, the court was told.[1] Police searched the two men, seized their mobile phones, and found text messages suggesting drug trafficking.[1] The defence lawyers did not request bail.[1] Police said the arrests were made late on Saturday night and placed them in Paceville, the nightlife district of St Julian’s.[2] The men were identified as a 25-year-old Somali man living in Marsa and a 32-year-old Eritrean man living in Pietà.[2] The police said the 25-year-old threw a packet containing a substance suspected to be cocaine onto the ground after noticing the officers.[3]

Julian Scicluna of the Attorney General’s office and Inspector Francesco Mizzi prosecuted, while legal aid lawyers Nadia Fiott and Martin Farrugia represented the accused.[1]