Possession of drugs "In Flight"
 

Plane forced to make emergency landing after cabin crew overhear drunken British passengers arguing about drugs | Mail Online

Is the possession of drugs, in a UK registered aircraft in international airspace actually a crime? I guess it was the couple's behaviour that caused the diversion. Then 14 hours on the ground in Malta - why? Court gave him a 3 year conditional discharge which seems about right for possession of one spliff!

Reading the comments below the article is a bit more revelling.

If the comments section is true, the diversion is most understandable. The nearest airfield at the time may well have been MLA, and the crew familiar with the destination. As drugs possession may have been a factor communicated to the captain legal issues come into play. UK law is in play the entire time an individual is on a state registered aircraft. Local/sovereign law of the over flown state also applies. Should the reports of attempts to enter the flightdeck be unfounded, the posession upon of drugs by a passenger may, under Kenyan law, impounded the aircraft and crew. The captain may also have been arrested and charged with assisting an individual to carry controlled substances into their country , or some similar offence. I do not know Kenyian law, and the captain may not have been clued up either. Safer to avoid a situation in more 'hostile' (from a legal stand point) territories and stay closer to home, (EU).

It's a shame ground crew are paid so little to want to avoid any potential conflict all together. Pissed pax = crime comitted on boarding. Why place an individual/crew/airline in that predicament. True the ground staff did not get the pax drunk, by why oh why do they still always accept them unless they are falling over!!!! :ugh:

A very good decision by the captain, not only the fact that he could be in serious trouble for flying drugs in, but generous to the man, he obviously realized the punishment in Kenya would be much worse.