Suspect in 76 kilos cocaine bust said he expected €3,000 payment, court hears

A man facing criminal proceedings in connection for allegedly carrying €9 million worth of cocaine told the police he had made the trip from Malta to Gozo three times and was waiting for a €3,000 payment.

This emerged before the Court of Magistrates in Gozo on Tuesday afternoon, when police inspector John Leigh Howard took the witness stand against Nenad Kovacic, 45, a Croatian national living in Xagħra, who is accused of conspiring to traffic drugs and aggravated possession of cocaine.

He is further charged with driving without a licence or insurance cover.

Kovacic was arrested last week when the police found 76 kilograms of cocaine valued at €9 million in Gozo.

Howard explained that the officers stopped a Toyota Rav4, which Kovacic had been driving. After reading him his rights, the police searched and found 18 kilograms of cocaine.

The suspect claimed chest pains when he was informed that a search would be carried out at home. He was taken to the hospital, and the police posted a guard outside the house to ensure that no one entered or left the residence.

At the house, they found the landlord and a preliminary search showed the property had been ransacked. The officers found an additional 52 blocks of cocaine in shopping bags. The search was carried out in the presence of the landlord.

In court, it emerged that two stents were inserted in Kovacic’s heart.

It also emerged that the vehicle used by the accused belonged to Alexander Vujkovic, the brother of a Serbian national, Nikola Vujkovic, who was involved in an argument at a popular Gżira lido in 2022. Vujkovic had hit the headlines when his dramatic poolside arrest was filmed and widely shared on social media.

In his statement to the police, Kovacic said he was responsible for the drugs found inside the vehicle and residence, and explained he had done the trip some three times and was to be paid €3,000.

Under cross-examination, defence lawyers Franco Debono and Nicholas Mifsud pressed for more details on Kovacic’s arrest.

In court, it transpired that the accused was arrested at 3.15pm, and the doctor was called in almost three hours later.

Howard clarified that the anonymous tip-off concerned the vehicle, not the driver or the accused.

The defence also questioned whether Kovacic was certified as fit for interrogation since he underwent surgery. The police inspector explained that once he was discharged, the police interrogated him.

Lawyer Nicholas Mifsud asked whether their client was present when the drugs were seized by the scene of crime officers, to which it emerged that he was in hospital at the time.

Howard also explained that they found the wardrobes open and disorder inside the house, but the place had not been emptied. The defence also questioned whether the police investigated the CCTV footage showing the entrance to the residence to better understand what had happened before their arrival.

Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided over the court. AG lawyer Godwin Cini prosecuted, assisted by police inspectors John Leigh Howard and Alfredo Mangion. Lawyers Franco Debono and Nicholas Mifsud assisted the accused.