Serbian men deported after serving jail terms for drugs and robberies
The two men were held by detention services after completing their jail terms
Two Serbian men have been deported from Malta after serving separate prison sentences, police said.
The men were held in detention after their release from the Corradino Correctional Facility until their return could be carried out.
One of them had served a two-and-a-half year sentence after being found guilty of drug trafficking, possessing false documents and stealing from a grocery shop in Mellieħa.
Police said the man completed his prison sentence at the end of 2024 but remained in detention while authorities considered an asylum application he had filed.
The application was rejected. He then challenged a return and removed order issued by the Principal Immigration Officer, but the court dismissed this case.
The second man was also detained by immigration authorities after serving a five-year prison sentence.
He had been found guilty of an armed robbery at a grocery shop in Mosta, as well as thefts from a supermarket in St Paul's Bay, a vehicle, a construction site and an apartment in Naxxar.
He was also found guilty of holding a person against their will during one of the thefts.
Police said the men are banned from entering Malta and the Schengen area.
The operation was led by the police with the assistance of detention services officers.