Cocaine Crazy: Busts Across Malta And 11 Other EU Countries Reveal Rampant Trafficking
Malta has been just confirmed as one of the countries placing among the top 12 EU countries for seizing large amounts of cocaine, giving some indication of the country’s position as a gateway for trafficking in Europe.
This is due to the fact that Malta is one of the main ports of the Mediterranean to enter mainland Europe, with the fourth comprehensive overview of illicit drug markets in the European Union being published by the EMCDDA and Europol.
However, within the study, the exact amount of drugs seized by Maltese authorities were not revealed. Still, there have been periods where over 18,000kg have been seized.
Malta has seen a large number of drug busts at Malta’s freeport, which have sometimes been worth millions.
In fact, in December 2020 Malta saw a record-breaking drug bust of a 612kg shipment of cocaine originating from Colombia and Ecuador by Malta Customs. The shipment, valued at around €70 million, was not destined for Malta.
Just a month ago, the record was broken once again, with 800kg of cocaine worth €108.2 million seized at Malta’s freeport, also not destined for Malta, but for Turkey.
And while Malta’s finds have been impressive over the last few years, sources have routinely warned that this is just a fraction of the total amount that goes through Malta.
What do you make of this story?
READ NEXT: Maltese Prisoner Is On Hunger Strike Over Work Dispute
