Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/734922
4 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2016 News Dwarna with Mariella Dimech every Tuesday at 21.00 on TVM2 Off-duty officer says lucky break led to Sicily smuggling arrest MAT THEW AGIUS POLICE officers told a court how a lucky break had led to the arrest of two Nigerian men and a Maltese woman in connec- tion with an attempt to smug- gle nearly 4kg of cannabis from Sicily last month, as the compi- lation of evidence against them continued this afternoon. The constable yesterday told magistrate Neville Camilleri that he had been on holiday in Sicily when, by chance, he had spotted a Maltese female and a black male passenger, who he described as "persons of inter- est" in a white Toyota Vitz. The officer testified that he had noted the suspicious vehi- cle in Pozzallo, being driven by Rita Scicluna and with Osaro Osarenkhoe in the passenger seat. Knowing that the man had been suspected of involvement with drugs, he had called up and tipped off his Malta-based col- leagues in the CID. At Pozzallo, the officer re- called, he had observed the man taking out one piece of hand lug- gage and a shoulder bag from the boot of the car and embarking the vessel on foot, leaving the woman to drive onto the cata- maran. Scicluna's husband Nicholas Obaseki had been waiting for them in a BMW 5 series bearing English number plates, the wit- ness said. Scicluna and Osaro were well- known to the police, he said. Police had been addressing the Paceville drug problem for a long time in what he called a notorious drug dealing spot be- hind the Paranga restaurant at St George's Bay. There had been a group of "Libyan and African men" who would regularly op- portune tourists and offer to sell them drugs from their car, while a female would always remain in the vehicle. A police sergeant said he recognised the three ac- cused in court. Police had con- ducted searches on the men several times, but these had not been successful, he said. "He would not have drugs on his person but police knew it would be hidden in the area. There are two main drug-deal- ing groups operating in the area, one was African and one Libyan, said the sergeant, adding "I am saying all this to explain why I felt suspicious enough to ask the drugs squad to stop them at the port." Obaseki is one of the ringlead- ers, the officer said, and the St George's Bay area of Paceville was a favourite haunt of his. Scicluna and Osaro were sub- sequently arrested, together with "the man in the foreign- registered vehicle who had been in the area." A child had been in the vehicle with the woman, another Drugs Squad officer told the court, while a fellow officer testified that two plastic bags containing what was suspected to be canna- bis grass had been found in the car's engine compartment. While the police had been searching the woman's person, Obaseki had been ringing her phone constantly, the court was told. When spoken to by the po- lice, he had admitted that the drugs were his. A search of the residence he shared with Sciclu- na found a crusher together with traces of drugs. Law yers Albert Zerafa and Josette Sultana, defending Sci- cluna and Obaseki, informed the court that they would not be contesting a possible decree, declaring sufficient prima facie evidence for a Bill of indictment to be issued. However, law yers Franco Debono and Amadeus Muscat, appearing for Osaro, announced that they would be fighting this pronouncement if it was made, also repeating their request for bail. MIRIAM DALLI FORMER Msida mayor and Mount Carmel CEO Clifton Grima sub- mitted his nomination to fill in the parliamentary seat vacated by for- mer environment minister Leo Brincat, who will be moving on to the European Court of Auditors. The casual election is sched- uled for 11 October and Grima is the frontrunner in the race. He had garnered 1,646 first count votes and was the penultimate candidate to be eliminated from La- bour's list on the ninth district. Other candidates who had con- tested the ninth district on the La- bour ticket during the 2013 general elections were Simon Saliba (648 votes), Nikita Zammit Alamango, Sigmund Mifsud, Manuel Micallef, Martin Ellul and Anthony Mifsud Bonnici. Candidates must achieve 50% of the quota established in the elec- tion. The quota was 3,834. Former Msida mayor Clifton Grima (left) with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat Transport minister tries to beat the traffic by boat but arrives 45 minutes late YANNICK PACE IT'S been over a week since Transport Minister Joe Mizzi urged commuters to make use of alternative transport to ease traffic congestion, but yesterday morning he failed to make a last- ing impression with members of the press after he arrived 45 min- utes late to a media call. The media was called to cover an event at Boiler Wharf in Sen- glea where Mizzi was going to visit a European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) oil response ves- sel with a press conference being scheduled after the visit. Mizzi – whose ministry is cur- rently holding the Malta Mari- time Summit – arrived 11.30am, together with a delegation from the summit, leaving members of the press waiting for 45 minutes on the quay. The delegation was then shown round the oil pollution response vessel while journalists waited for the scheduled press confer- ence. After the visit had concluded Mizzi was rushed off the vessel and straight into a waiting car without taking any questions. A spokesman for EMSA was the only official who spoke to jour- nalists. He explained how the ves- sel is one of a many that are sta- tioned around Europe and are ready to respond to oil spills. There are currently six similar vessels in the Mediterranean and added that each vessel had been repurposed and fitted with the necessary equipment in order to be as cost-effective as possible. Clifton Grima submits nomination for Labour casual election Running late: transport minister Joe Mizzi arrived 45 minutes late despite commuting by boat