Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546572
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWS MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt Tourist jailed for aggravated cannabis possession at Freedom Street festival A 28-year-old English national with no fixed residence in Malta has been jailed for nine months after being caught with 15 sa- chets of cannabis during the Freedom Street Malta 2026 fes- tival in Ta' Qali. Shane Tashane Kambiri was charged with possession of can- nabis in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use and for committing the offence within 100 metres of a place fre- quented by young people. The accused pleaded guilty to the offences committed on Sun- day. Kambiri, who works as an Amazon delivery driver, told the court that he was due to leave the country on Wednesday. The court heard that police were carrying out searches dur- ing the Freedom Street festival at the Ta' Qali grounds when Kambiri was searched. Kambiri was found with 15 cannabis sachets and a separate bag containing 10 pills. Kam- biri was immediately arrested and informed of his rights. The court was told that subsequent testing confirmed that the pills did not contain an illicit sub- stance, following analysis by an expert. The arraignment comes days after the festival descended in- to mayhem over the weekend, with hundreds of internation- al attendees flocking to events across Ta' Qali and other loca- tions. The festival was hit by repeat- ed security breaches, including crowds reportedly forcing their way into venues without tickets, while separate footage showed attendees taking items from be- hind the counter of a KFC out- let in Paceville without paying. Organisers eventually cancelled the remaining parties, citing safety concerns. The defence did not contest the validity of the arrest. Fol- lowing his admission, Kambiri was given time by the court to reconsider, after which he re- confirmed his guilty plea. The parties agreed that the court should impose the mini- mum effective term of impris- onment, in view of Kambiri's guilty plea and cooperation with the police. Kambiri was sentenced to nine months' effective imprisonment and fined €3,000. He was also ordered to pay all court expens- es incurred in connection with the case. Inspectors Joseph Mallia and Noelene Magro prosecuted to- gether with Attorney General lawyer Julian Scicluna. Legal aid lawyer Sarah Ciliberti appeared for Kambiri. Magistrate Antoine Agius Bonnici presided over the case. Freedom Street Festival was held in Malta over the weekend Student in the dock over forged Identità document for post-study visa BINI Lama, a 22-year-old stu- dent, appeared in court on Tues- day after being caught submitting a forged document to Identità in a bid to secure a post-study visa to remain and work in Malta. Police were alerted on 14 Sep- tember, when officials at Iden- tità's offices flagged an anomaly in an online application submit- ted by the accused. The court heard how the stu- dent had been summoned to the offices after staff noticed that one of the uploaded supporting documents was not authentic. Lama admitted that she knew the document was not genuine, but insisted she had obtained it through a foreign private agency. During the arraignment, the defence contested the validity of the arrest, arguing police of- ficers had taken the accused into custody without first obtaining a warrant. The prosecution argued officers were legally justified in arresting the suspect immediately upon being informed of the offence by Identità officials. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court ruled that the arrest was valid and executed in accordance with the law. The court subsequently or- dered that the acts of the case be transmitted to the court registrar so that sentencing can be deliv- ered according to law. Inspector Elton Buckingham prosecuted. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt