Jury finds Zambian man not guilty of trafficking heroin

A Zambian man has been found not guilty by a jury of trafficking heroin back in 2009, but was found guilty of simple cannabis possession landing him a oneyear conditional discharge.

Isaac Unigwe, 34, from Zambia, was charged with conspiracy to sell heroin, supplying the prohibited narcotic and simple possession of cannabis after he was named by Paul Cremona, known as is-Cigar, who was caught with some 54 capsules of heroin in his vehicle after the police were tipped off.

Mr Unigwe had come to Malta as a footballer in 2003, but this career was cut short in 2007. The accused established roots in Malta after marrying a Maltese woman and having four children.

Prosecuting lawyers on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General had alleged that the accused met with Mr Cremona in 2009, along with another footballer named Sunday Eboh. The accused was to supply heroin to Mr Cremona.

After being caught with the substance by the police, Mr Cremona was jailed for seven and a half years. The quantity found was 28 per cent pure and experts estimated that the street value ranged from €15,666 to €65,274.

Mr Cremona alleged that he was on his way back to the accused to return the substance as it was not of the purity agreed upon, when he was caught by the police. He chose not to testify in Mr Unigwe’s case. He swore to have bought the heroin from the accused for €8,000.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto argued that the Mr Cremona, the source of the claims against the accused, was of dubious credibility, adding that he knew the accused had previous brushes with the law as well as problems with his citizenship.

The jury decided by six votes to three that the accused was not guilty of conspiracy to traffic heroin, and by eight votes to one not guilty of trafficking heroin. He was, however, unanimously found guilty of simple cannabis possession.

Judge Antonio Mizzi, presiding over the case, condemned Mr Unigwe to a one-year conditional discharge.