The Colombian man accused of chopping up a body, stuffing it into a suitcase, and dumping it at sea has a clean criminal record in his country.

Besides being accused of disposing of the body of a fellow Colombian in the sea off Gżira, Andres Leonardo Gamboa Duran is also facing drug trafficking charges.

The police have not filed murder charges against him, as they believe that the victim, Raoul Eduardo Rei, was already dead before he was dismembered.

Sources from the Colombian Fiscalia (prosecutor’s office) said Duran, 43, born in Cucuta, Colombia, has no criminal record in his native country. 

Andres Leonardo Gamboa Duran from Cucuta, Colombia, arriving at court for his arraignment in December. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

“He has no judicial or criminal record. On the system, he comes out clean,” sources said.

On December 9, news of a dismembered body found in a suitcase off the coast of Gżira shocked Malta.

Duran was arrested two days later following a manhunt.

Inside the Msida apartment where Duran was arrested, police found cocaine, drug trafficking paraphernalia, a convenience store receipt for the purchase of bleach, detergents, garbage bags, and cleaning cloths, as well as a packet of adult nappies, one of which was missing.

Another Msida apartment nearby, searched by the police, was spotless and eerily empty. 

There were no bed sheets on the bed, no food in the cupboards, and no clothes in the wardrobes. However, police found an axe wrapped in blue plastic, matching one that Duran was seen purchasing from a San Ġwann store. Forensic analysts also found two small bones and blood traces near a bathroom drain.

The court case is ongoing.