Italian police arrest six over Malta-Sicily drug trafficking ring
Drug smugglers had hidden two tonnes of cocaine in the sea off Catania's coast
Italian police have arrested six people believed to be involved in a multi-million-euro drug trafficking ring between Malta and Sicily.
The raid, referred to in the Italian press as ‘Operazione Abisso’ was carried out on Wednesday morning by Catania’s Guardia di Finanza.
According to several Italian media reports, the six people arrested are suspected of involvement in the production and trafficking of cocaine and marijuana between the two islands.
Italian authorities arrested a further 15 people linked to the trafficking ring in June. One of the men detained during that initial raid was Italian rapper Niko Pandetta, the nephew of Turi Cappello, the founder of the Cappello mafia clan in Catania.
Pandetta’s detention order was later annulled by Sicilian courts on appeal.
Despite having now arrested 21 suspects believed to form part of the trafficking ring, Italian authorities say a further seven people under investigation remain on the loose.
According to reports, the trafficking network is also linked to several mafia groups, particularly the Cappello-Bonaccorsi clan in Sicily which, in turn, supplied the drugs to clans in the coastal town of Santa Panagia in Syracuse.
Two tonnes of cocaine hidden in the sea
Four of the six people arrested in this week’s raid are believed to be directly responsible for moving drugs between Sicily and Malta. All four are from Catania.
The other two persons arrested hail from Calabria. According to Italian authorities, they had been hired by mafia clans to recover two tonnes of cocaine, with a street value of around €30 million, hidden on the seabed off the coast of Catania.
The two men were then to transport the drugs to Calabria, in exchange for a large payout. However, the plan fell through, with Italian authorities having already located and retrieved the hidden drugs.
During the raid, police also seized several assets, including cars and properties, worth a total of €700,000.
Questions have been sent to the Malta Police Force. Catania’s Guardia di Finanza has also been contacted.