A retired judge has urged the authorities to consider ways to watch over soldiers whose job it is to monitor CCTV cameras, to make sure they are doing their job.

The suggestion is among a set of recommendations made by Judge Geoffrey Valenzia in his inquiry report into the theft of 135kg of cannabis from a container which was being guarded within Safi Barracks last month. The judge found that despite CCTVs having been operational, the theft went unnoticed because the soldier who was supposed to be monitoring the cameras was watching a film instead. His colleague was asleep.

In his recommendations, Valenzia also pointed to a lack of secure facilities for the storage of drugs pending destruction.

Destruction of the drugs was also problematic, he found, as the authorities had to rely on an ageing Wasteserv incinerator that was ill-equipped for that purpose.

Destroying drugs in that way was also time-consuming, as police and a magistrate had to be present and the process took several hours.

In this case, the drugs were not destroyed because the incinerator had developed a fault. While the court authorities were under the impression that the fault would take months to fix, Wasteserv told the inquiry that the incinerator was back up and running within a few weeks. But the apparent miscommunication meant that the destruction of the drugs was never resumed.

The judge called for a more efficient way to destroy drugs, such as the purchase of a new incinerator, the use of alternative technologies, or sending the drugs overseas for destruction.   

In the meantime, drugs awaiting destruction should be stored in secure facilities at the incinerator site, he added.

Any other drugs left in the Safi container should be destroyed, he advised, as images of the site published on social media following the heist had exposed the sensitive content held there.

He also suggested the installation of intrusion alarms around the perimeter fence and other spots where it might be necessary.

The inquiry

The administrative inquiry was tasked with looking into why over 100kg of cannabis seized from the Malta Freeport was being held at an AFM facility in Safi, what security precautions were taken to ensure the drug was safely held and how the AFM, freeport and other entities interacted throughout.

Six people have been charged in connection with the February 24 robbery, which saw criminals cut a fence at Safi barracks and then shuttle blocks of cannabis resin into getaway vehicles before escaping.

The theft was only discovered during a routine patrol of the facility later that same night.