20 months jail for Żebbuġ man who grew cannabis plants on his terrace

A 39-year-old man from Żebbuġ was jailed for 20 months for growing cannabis plants on his terrace.

A court yesterday heard how officers raided Walter Desira’s home in March 2011 and found 14 pots in a makeshift greenhouse on the terrace. There were 21 cannabis plants in total.

The greenhouse, the court heard, was equipped with heating lamps, which were connected to timers. Drugs Squad officers also found dried cannabis plants and seeds in Mr Desira’s home.

He was charged with cultivating and aggravated possession of cannabis, found in circumstances denoting it was not for personal use.

The accused told Magistrate Neville Camilleri that he smoked the drug because medicine that had been prescribed to him to treat a condition was not letting him sleep. The cannabis made him sleepy, he said.

Mr Desira told the court that initially he bought the drugs from a Qormi dealer but eventually moved to cultivating plants. He insisted that he had never sold marijuana to anyone, adding that he had since stopped using the drug after his wife told him to make a choice between saving the marriage and drugs.

The accused was found guilty of possession and cultivation of cannabis but was acquitted of the trafficking charge, with the court saying this had not been proven. The Magistrate said, however, that the law only provided for an effective jail sentence in such cases.

In noting that Mr Desira had changed his ways, the court inflicted a punishment that was close to the minimum. Mr Desira was jailed for 20 months and fined €3,000.