I read with interest in Times of Malta of May 28 that the 140 kilos of cocaine which were intercepted by Customs officers at Malta Freeport two years ago had been “eventually incinerated after being used as evidence in court proceedings”.

It goes without saying that the Maltese police and Customs officers are to be commended for their good work in intercepting these harmful illicit substances.

But might it not be wiser in the future to have journalists present during the time of the incineration? This is so that the so-called incineration is confirmed to the public, as in the past there were doubts as to whether the true incineration had taken place at all. A video recording should also be made and distributed to the news media.

One case goes back to 1989 when half a kilo of pure cocaine was intercepted in Gozo through the post but which was later found missing from the court safe, never to be found again.

And, some time later, two kilos of cocaine that had been intercepted at the airport, thought by the carrier to be emeralds, never made it to the incinerator because the forensic expert whose duty it was to incinerate them reported that the incinerator was out of order. What happened to those two kilos afterwards nobody knows.

Many other such incidents took place in the past and serious parents who worry about the health and safety of their children want to feel assured that these harmful substances are not ending up on the street again.