PN leader Bernard Grech vowed a war on drugs on Tuesday after 200kg of confiscated cannabis resin was stolen from an Armed Forces of Malta-controlled site.

“I will be at the forefront of the war on drugs alongside the Nationalist Party and the people,” Grech said.

The PN leader also reiterated his party’s call for the prime minister to accept home affairs minister Byron Camilleri’s resignation, something Robert Abela has refused to do so far. 

Grech said the minister was right to offer his resignation following the heist that took place over the weekend.

The drugs were stolen from a container at an army base in Safi on Saturday night. They were seized last year and were being held there following a request by the courts pending destruction.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday that he saw no reason for the home affairs minister to shoulder responsibility for what had taken place. He was not involved in the drug storage arrangements or the decision not to destroy the illicit drugs.

With the prime minister not accepting Camilleri’s resignation, Robert Abela himself was responsible for the fallout from this heist, Grech said on Tuesday morning.

“If no one takes responsibility for this, everything will carry on as if nothing happened, even though this theft means that the country is not functioning,” Grech said.

“Everything that crops up following this (the theft) is now Robert Abela’s responsibility,” he said.

The prime minister’s refusal to have a debate in parliament on the heist on Monday meant he did not understand the seriousness of the situation and that “he stands on the side of criminals," Grech added. 

"200kg more drugs are in the streets today, in the hands of traffickers and pushers who are selling it to our young people. Parents, mothers, fathers, and nannas (grandmothers) are worried because our children face more danger,” Grech said.

He added that the administrative inquiry into shortcomings that could have contributed to the heist should be led by the Ombudsman.