A 35-year-old Albanian, identified as Jani Cela, has been arrested by the police in Malta on charges of illegal possession of weapons.
He was arrested after police discovered a loaded, unlicensed firearm in his car when he was stopped for dangerous driving in Hamrun on Wednesday evening.
35-year-old Albanian citizen Jani Cela, who does not have an official residence in Malta, appeared before magistrate Joseph Gatt on charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, fraud, driving without a license and insurance. He was also charged with dangerous and careless driving.
Inspector Lydon Zammit, prosecuting alongside Inspector Sarah Kathleen Zerafa, told the court that on February 7, police had been on patrol in Hamrun when they spotted a vehicle making an illegal U-turn. The police stopped the car and found Cela at the wheel accompanied by another Albanian citizen.
In an attempt to evade the police, the officers searched the Albanians, finding a pistol, loaded with five cartridges, in a bag he was carrying. Further investigations revealed that Cela had also rented the vehicle under an assumed name.
Asked where he lived, Çela told the court that he used to live in Marsaskala, but now lived with his friends, without specifying where. He said he currently worked in a bar but had previously worked in construction.