A record of nearly 3,000 kilos of cocaine, with an estimated street value of €386 million, were seized by the police last year as the drug continues to grow in popularity in Malta.

This is almost three times the amount seized in 2021, which had been a record year.

In their efforts to crack down on the chain of organised crime groups that work together to import, package and sell the drug, the police charged 54 people with trafficking cocaine last year.

“We are seeing an increase in cocaine use, as the statistics show,” police superintendent Keith Arnaud, who heads the drug squad, told Times of Malta.

Cocaine is the second most consumed illicit drug in the EU after cannabis and Malta is no exception.

“In the past, there were years when ecstasy was more popular in clubs but, today, its use has dropped drastically whereas that of cocaine is increasing,” Arnaud said.

He said the police received reports of people consuming cocaine at weddings, private parties and bars where officers have even caught people sniffing in bathrooms.

The priority of the police is to get the drug off the streets- Drug squad chief Keith Arnaud

Nearly a third of those in treatment reported cocaine was the drug that created most problems for them, up from 15 per cent in 2015, according to figures from 2020 collected by local NGOs providing drug rehabilitation services.

Additionally, the proportion of people receiving treatment for using cocaine for the first time increased from 36 per cent in 2015 to 52 per cent in 2020.

Focus on crime groups

Stopping drug use is “harder than it seems” because the moment a police officer is spotted the evidence is removed, Arnaud said. Malta is a small place and, even in plain clothes, drug squad members are easily recognised.

The priority of the police, Arnaud added, was to get the drug off the streets, so they were focusing their resources on cracking down on organised crime groups (OCG). At least three of them are involved in the cocaine trade in the country, he said.

Some of the groups have strong connections with European and international networks which coordinate the importation of cocaine, either in containers or through couriers and body-packers.

The groups are usually made up of people of various nationalities that could include Maltese.

“It is not the same group taking cocaine to the end users,” Arnaud said.

“They would sell it to another – the middle group – that cuts it and sells it to other groups. It is then packed into smaller packets for the end user after adding more cutting agents.”

At each step, the purity decreases as they cut the cocaine to make their money. So, by the time the drug gets to the end user it contains lots of “rubbish” – the cutting agents.

Apart from the damage of taking the cocaine itself, there have been cases of drug users ending up in hospital and suffering long-term health problems resulting from the mix of chemicals, Arnaud said.

And, as the quality drops along the process, the street value rockets.

“From the information we get from the streets, a gramme of cocaine costs €50. Evidence shows that, higher up the chain, a kilo costs between €45,000 and €55,000. That same kilo ends up becoming various kilos with a street value of some €130,000.”

Arnaud notes that the bulk of cocaine which makes its way into Europe comes from South America, West Asia and North Africa. Of course, while some just passes through Malta, some is meant for the local market.

Body packers

One of the most common ways of smuggling cocaine into Malta remains the use of so-called body-packers – travellers who ingest capsules of cocaine and come here on a flight or by sea.

This is one of the main challenges facing the drug squad.

The only way cocaine can enter the island is by air or sea. People coming from Schengen areas, where there is freedom of movement, have a right to enter the country without border checks. And, according to law, the police must have a reasonable suspicion that a person is carrying drugs to check them or their property.

Often, this “suspicion” stems from police intelligence provided from international law enforcement agencies or through anonymous tips.

Another challenge is the use of private boats.

“In the past, the police found cocaine brought to Malta on private vessels but it is impossible to stop everyone and be everywhere,” Arnaud said.

Cocaine busts

Over the past few month, Arnaud noted, drug squad police have disrupted several OCGs.

They busted cocaine packaging operations in houses fully equipped to package and traffic drugs and stopped traffickers from selling from cars and other places.

Some traffickers, he said, hid the cocaine in public places.

He said it was difficult to tell how many organised crime groups there are. Some are stronger than others, often due to their networks and the quality of their drugs.

“Things could change fast. If a group has had their supply cut off following a seizure, for example, buyers could shift to another supplier,” Arnaud said, adding that there have been clashes between groups over this issue.

“Our priority is getting the drugs off the streets. We are also focusing on seizing the proceeds of crime – we attack the assets it generates. This makes us more efficient as we are not only removing drugs from the streets, we are making it harder for groups to grow and get more organised,” he said.

Arnaud noted that the drug squad doubled the cash it seized from organised crime groups

between 2021 and 2022, from some €500,000 to about €1.1 million. Apart from the drug money seized, the groups were stripped of the value of the drugs.

What happens to all the kilos when they are confiscated?

Once seized, the drugs are taken into the custody of the police and then the law courts following a rigorous chain of custody procedures.

If a person is charged over a specific drug seizure, the drugs are kept as evidence and destroyed once the case is over. If no one is charged, the drugs are incinerated in a documented process once the magisterial inquiry is concluded.

As for the cash, it is kept as evidence until required and then it is forfeited in favour of the government.