Two men arrested last Monday on suspicion of trafficking 18,000 ecstasy pills have not been charged because police have so far been unable to link them with a major drug find, according to police sources.

Clive Dimech, 27, of Żebbuġ, and George Azzopardi, 31 of Ħamrun, were surprised by plainclothes policemen waiting in unmarked cars at the Luxol Grounds in Pembroke, on Monday evening.

One of them was arrested on the spot but the other managed to get away, damaging three cars and a van in the process. Shots were fired at his tyres to try to stop him from getting away but to no avail.

His escape was short-lived, since he was arrested on Tuesday morning shortly after his car was found in the nearby San Ġwann valley.

However, the police did not find any drugs until Tuesday afternoon, when 18,000 ecstasy pills with an estimated street value of €120,000 were discovered in a gutter next to a disused building and close to the area where the suspects were seen acting suspiciously.

The drugs were found in a paper bag placed inside a cardboard box, which was formerly used to store green peppers.

Last Tuesday evening, the police issued a statement saying that the discovery was linked to the men's arrest and that charges were expected to be made. But sources yesterday said the police could not link the suspects to the drugs since they were not seen to be interacting with the box containing the ecstasy pills.

The sources said the box and its contents were still being examined for fingerprints in an attempt to link the men to the find.

It is not known whether the operation went according to plan or if the police pounced on their suspects prematurely. Questions sent to the police asking whether an internal inquiry has been launched into the operation remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, the two men have been released on police bail after being held in custody for the maximum 48 hours allowed by law.