The missing 94kg and other issues

The drug heist from the AFM Safi barracks has raised several questions. Our prime minister was quick to react as soon as the administrative inquiry was published.

Acting as a lawyer, prosecutor and judge at the same time, rather than as a prime minister, he quickly spat out his judgement on the military personnel who allegedly failed to prevent the theft.

“No mercy for them,” he thundered before any disciplinary action was taken against them.

Of, course, Abela, who is very good at being strong with the weak and weak with the strong, did not find any problem with Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, on whose watch the heist took place, and whose previous prison director had treated inmates badly and subjected them to pervasive intimidation and fear, according to a report by the ombudsman.

Neither was it a problem for him that Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri gave a €70,000 fake job to Amanda Muscat, the partner of then tourism minister Clayton Bartolo.

For Abela, these ministers should not shoulder any responsibility.

It is obvious, of course, that the one soldier supposedly monitoring the CCTV cameras that fateful night in Safi failed in his duty. Unfortunately, because of his lack of professionalism, he attracted the ire of the Maltese population onto the whole army, which is unfortunate, as most army personnel are genuine people who give sterling service to the country. 

However, there are certain issues that the inquiry seems to have missed. One soldier was indeed on duty and did not carry out his duties as he should have. But the second ‘sleeping’ soldier is not at fault.

He was doing what he was supposed to do as a relieving soldier, that is, sleep (normally four hours) until it was his turn to relieve the other soldier on duty.

I’m not sure whether the solution proposed by the judge who wrote the report, that another unit of soldiers should be watching over the soldiers watching the CCTV cameras, is a joke.

Having said that, there are still questions that still do not seem to have been addressed.

Why was the drug container sent to Safi, which is not a top security place?

Why was it not placed in the gigantic strongroom built in 2008 at Luqa barracks to house the new euro coins that had arrived in Malta? That is the safest place the army has. Therefore, why Safi?

The second ‘sleeping’ soldier is not at fault- Arnold Cassola

Why were two skips placed in front of the container, thus hiding it from the view of the soldiers on guard?

And, when the military authorities had been informed in the recent past that the floodlights were not working, why were these not immediately replaced?

Once it was known that the incinerator was damaged and, therefore, the controlled burning of the confiscated cannabis could not continue, was any expert consulted on an alternative method of disposing of the remaining bags of resin?

Are we sure that there are no other safe ways of disposing of such drugs? 

One other big mystery: the soldier supposedly monitoring 35 CCTV cameras was watching a film on a tablet with earphones. He then talked on the phone with his girlfriend for 20 minutes. Following that, he cooked and ate his dinner in a kitchenette. He did not conduct any patrols or checks on the container. And all this lasted for nearly three hours.

Was it a coincidence that the thieves could do their loading/unloading undisturbed exactly during these three hours?

And, then, how did the thieves get to know that the confiscated drugs were being moved from a van at the Freeport to a container in Safi?

Also, on February 25, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà told the press that 226kg had been stolen. Then, on March 11, forensic examiners testifying in court said 132kg of drugs were stolen. What had happened in those 14 days? What has happened to the missing 94kg?

The AFM commander and the police commissioner have a lot of explaining to do.

Arnold Cassola

Arnold Cassola is chairperson of Momentum.