Two arrested over alleged stolen-vehicle organised crime ring, one arraigned
The two Libyan nationals were arrested after arriving in Malta from Pozzallo with two allegedly stolen vehicles
Updated 1.24pm with arraignment
Two people have been arrested in connection with a suspected organised crime ring transporting high-value stolen vehicles, with a 36-year-old arraigned in court on Friday morning.
In an earlier statement, police said two Libyan nationals had been arrested following a “highly complex investigation”, which found that vehicles had been imported into Malta using false documents from different EU countries.
After being kept in Malta for “a few days”, the vehicles were sent to North Africa and the Middle East.
The two suspects were arrested on Wednesday evening shortly after arriving in Malta on the ferry from Pozzallo, Sicily. The pair were driving two allegedly stolen vehicles: a Toyota LandCruiser and a RAV 4.
The pair were allegedly in possession of false documents and had made modifications to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of each vehicle.
Investigations suggest that the two suspects are part of an organised crime group that, in recent months, has transported stolen vehicles to Libya.
At the same time as their arrest, several other vehicles brought to Malta, destined for North Africa, were confiscated by customs officials, police said.
Speaking during the arraignment of Ahmed Ab’a Khabiza, police inspector Shawn Pawney said that on Wednesday morning, at about 9:30pm, customs officials at the Marsa ferry terminal informed police of a suspicious vehicle that had just disembarked from Sicily.
Officers from the Stolen Vehicles Section went onsite and found several inconsistencies.
The investigation later showed that the Toyota LandCruiser was a relatively new vehicle.
The police established that Khabiza had come to Malta twice before, bringing two vehicles over the two crossings. The vehicles eventually turned out to have been stolen – one from Spain and another from Italy.
Khabiza, who works at an international school in Tripoli, Libya, was remanded in custody after bail was not requested.
Magistrate Joseph Gatt presided.
AG lawyer assisted by police inspector Shawn Pawney.
Legal aid lawyer Maria Karlsson assisted the accused.
Magistrate Monica Borg Galea was informed of the case and has opened a magisterial inquiry.