Amateur footballer allegedly caught smuggling drugs inside stomach while in prison<\/p>\n
A man who works as an HR manager was arraigned on Monday morning after facing charges of transportation of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy inside his body, as well as threatening and resisting correctional officers.<\/p>\n
The facts follow the accused’s release on bail regarding a previous case dealing with possession of laughing gas on 6 June. The court heard how the accused, Elvis Johnson, 28, could not pay his bail deposit, and was informed that he would be held at the Corradino Correctional Facility until Monday.<\/p>\n
However, during a routine body scan upon admission, a suspicious shadow was detected in his abdominal area.<\/p>\n
As correctional officers proceeded to conduct a cavity search, the prosecuting inspector confirmed overhearing the accused loudly protesting and directing threats at the officers. The inspector was later informed that the hidden drugs had been successfully expelled from Johnson’s body.<\/p>\n
A number of baggies which were suspected to be narcotics were allegedly found, including cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy. The accused was released back into police custody.<\/p>\n
Johnson’s defence lawyer questioned how can an arrest take place if the accused was already arrested, citing an irregular arrest. However, the prosecution, maintained that he was not under arrest as his bail decree was already published, but arrested for a new offence.<\/p>\n
The court declared the arrest as a valid one stating that the offences of transporting narcotics inside his body are much more serious than those of laughing gas.<\/p>\n
During the arraignment, the accused interrupted proceedings by speaking loudly, attempting to draw the magistrate’s attention to a strip-search conducted by prison officials.<\/p>\n
In their request for bail, the defence argued the accused has a fixed residential address and poses no risk of absconding as he is well-settled in Malta. The defence further maintained that since the illicit substances are securely in police custody, there is no risk of the accused tampering with the evidence.<\/p>\n
However, the prosecuting lawyer fiercely objected to the request, pointing to the severity of the charges and arguing that the lengthy prison sentence they carry creates a significant flight risk. The prosecuting inspector added that the accused had already failed to comply with orders given by correctional officers, questioning how he could be trusted to respect court-imposed bail conditions if he cannot follow prison rules.<\/p>\n
The prosecution also revealed that while in custody, the man told officers he had no ties to the country and that his girlfriend lived abroad.<\/p>\n
After taking these arguments into consideration, the court denied bail, citing the gravity of the offences and the tangible risk of the accused absconding from these islands.<\/p>\n
Magistrate Tanya Sammut presided over the arraignment.<\/p>\n
AG lawyer Julian Scicluna led the prosecution together with Inspector Pierguido Saliba. Lawyer Rachel Tua represented the accused.<\/p>\n
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