Parcel of cocaine

Two African men are being held after a parcel containing cocaine destined for them was intercepted by customs officials in Germany, the police said.

The two were arrested on Saturday following an investigation which started last week.

The police did not release many details of the case or the men's names but said one of them is a 25-year-old Nigerian man who lives in Cospicua and the other a 19-year-old from Burkina Faso who lives at the Marsa open centre for refugees.

The parcel was meant for an address in Santa Venera. It held a number of items, including a can of fruit, which looked as though it had been tampered with. Inside the can was a liquid which, according to police sources, turned out to be a mixture which contained cocaine.

The drugs-filled package was seized last Wednesday by German customs officials in a routine inspection. Local Customs officials and the vice squad police were told about the find and the parcel was brought over.

The Nigerian man is expected to be arraigned today.