€1 million cocaine haul at airport

A joint operation by the police and Customs officers led to the seizure of six kilogrammes of cocaine and the arrest of five persons.

A conservative estimate put the value of the haul at €1.1 million (Lm472,230).

Police Superintendent Neil Harrison told a news conference yesterday two 19-year-old Estonians were stopped on their arrival at Malta International Airport from Tripoli on Friday evening.

Their bags were searched and four packets containing about 1.5 kilogrammes of cocaine each were found hidden in the luggage, the police said.

The police said they also managed to identify two persons whom they believe the drugs were intended for. Two Nigerian residents, aged 26 and 27, were arrested on Saturday night. One of them is married to a Maltese.

Further investigations revealed that another Nigerian, resident in The Netherlands, travelled to Malta in connection with the drugs. On arrival from Brussels he was followed by the police and arrested.

The 30-year-old Nigerian is now in preventive custody at the Corradino Correctional Facility and will be arraigned soon. The others have already been arraigned.

Mr Harrison said it was very likely that some of the cocaine was destined for Malta and the rest was headed to another part of Europe, probably Estonia.

Police Inspector Norbert Ciappara said the drug, which originated in South America, had started its trip to Malta from Benin in West Africa.

The increased cooperation between the police and Customs officers had led to record drugs seizures and freezing of assets last year. This year, seven kilogrammes of cannabis have been seized besides this latest cocaine find.

Joe Brincat, head of the Customs Investigating Unit, said it was his unit that had passed the case on to the Customs Enforcement Unit, which then passed it on to the police.

Mr Harrison said new shifts had been introduced in the Drug Squad in order to allow it to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A surveillance unit has also been formed.