8kg of cocaine found in unmarked luggage

d stellini

Aug 31st 2008, 22:20

Mr Ronnie Gauci . Pl re read my comment. I never criticised the customs personnel who indeed are always the ones who make the major drug finds. I queried the sniffer dogs (Police dogs ? ) not picking on the luggage for the 2 whole months. Surely when the handlers do take them to the airport on a visit, they would also visit the left luggage depository ? But perhaps the handlers were on a 2 month holiday.
Nor did I say that the luggage would have the person's identification on it , duh !!
...and no I dont expect the sniffer dogs to be at the freeport sniffing at every container. Get a life Mr Gauci, thats not what sniffer dogs are for !
please read comments a second time, before replying

Charles Sammut

Aug 31st 2008, 22:09

@ Ronnie Gauci

It certainly was not my intention to take any credit away from anyone and I apologise if I sounded that way. As for the media, they usually report that these operations were joint operations between the Customs and Police departments.

As for whoever said that luggage is not checked it should be pointed out that the most effective way to intercept contraband is not with indiscriminate searches but with pin-point intelligence work. The former inconveniences 99.9% of the people involved and the latter is effective 99.9% of the time. The difference between carpet bombing and smart precision bombs.

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 31st 2008, 14:49

Mr Sammut, not to take any credit away from the Police Dept and the valid work they do but every time you hear or read of a drug haul at the MIA or at the Harbour in 90% of the cases the credit has to go to the Customs Dept, later on once the drugs are found the police are called in to prosecute and most of the times they take all the credit in the media.

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 31st 2008, 14:25

Mr. Stellini, the fact that this particular baggage was not taken out of the airport and left there with hundreds of thousands of Euros in cocaine by it's "owner/s" is a clear proof of the Customs Department efficiency as he/she realized that once he/she tried to step foot outside the MIA he/she would have been caught for sure, but not before removing its identification tags and Mr Stellini you should know that whoever tries to import drugs inside a luggage will not write his name and address on it for you to find.

As for the sniffer dogs you have to know also that millions of luggage/cargo units enter Malta each year and it is impossible for these dogs to examine each and every piece which is imported in Malta. Plus these dogs also have to cover other areas in Malta like the Grand Harbour, yacht marinas and post offices.

You should show your appreciation to the Customs Department instead of critisizing (especially to the Enforcement Unit) as this is amongst the most successful Government departments in Malta and their results speak for them not to mention that they risk their lives on a daily bases.

Charles Sammut

Aug 31st 2008, 12:39

Some of the insinuations and claims aired in these comments are outrageous. How can you criticise the police when it is obvious that they were carrying out intensive checks and prevented the drugs from getting through? How can you say that an insider was involved when the bag has been lying there for almost 2 months? If there had been an insider involved surely s/he would have spirited the stuff out by now.

We should appreciate the police work because they had accurate intelligence about this drug run. They probably stopped the courier on his way out of the customs area but obviously found nothing at the time. Give them a few more days and in the meantime congratulate them on what is probably the biggest drug haul for some time.

M. Mallia

Aug 31st 2008, 10:36

David Farrugia - Apart from checking the obvious (security footage of the "baggage reclaim" area), it would probably also make sense to check the CCTV footage of the "unclaimed baggage" section, assuming that there is any, that it.

D stellini

Aug 31st 2008, 10:05

Whatever happened to the sniffer dogs for the past 2 months? On summer holidays or the dogs unable to sniff 8Kg of cocaine? Hello Mr commissioner, a few days ago we had a media frenzy about the police swooping on a party and arresting some 12 persons with a few grams of drugs, while 8000 grams were sitting pretty at the airport for 2 months.
And if the police already know the date of arrival , and presumably the flight, then how about tracking down each passenger for an interview?

n camilleri

Aug 31st 2008, 07:54

I am sure that through some more research work and whatever kind of work that involves in such cases there would be able to see a lead. Or should the malta police put it in the 'lost and found section' !!

john Alex Iles

Aug 31st 2008, 07:40

What about tallies put on when someone checks in(You know half goes on the bag half stuck to your ticket /passport with corresponding numbers).
I ask did somebody take them off? If so,it could hardly be a passenger because no passengers have access to baggage once checked in (ie.untill claimed at the carousel ).Me smells an insider.The fact that it was not claimed whoever checked it in originally knew upon arrival that it was HOT & being monitored. How can you people cry over that value going to waste. The value is only increased when these things are causing harm & having devastating effects on society.

Ian Xerri

Aug 30th 2008, 23:29

I have been visiting my family in Malta many times. What baffles me is that Malta allows all to come in and there are no luggage searches. That means, everything can come in. This must be the only country that does this. In the UK, there are strict checkings and it's part of the EU. What is Malta's excuse.

apgrech

Aug 30th 2008, 22:34

There are millions of people travelling everyday and there may be a few dozens who are involved in all these crimes and who are making life difficult for travellers.

So much security costing millions of dollars because of a few. Truly sad.

VICTOR VELLA

Aug 30th 2008, 22:26

Excuse me for missing this in my last comment, do they mean to tell us that the bag or suitcase did not even have the airline checkin tag on it? I do hope someone with good eyesight is looking at those security videos.

J.M. Chapelle

Aug 30th 2008, 22:09

Probably decided to forget about the luggage...

dennis agius

Aug 30th 2008, 22:00

@simon sullivan.
luggage is normally sceened before onloading to the aircraft for explosives and screened for drugs after being unloaded. that the way it is in most of the countries worldwide, so you may rest paecfully during your holiday trip.
@victor vella
please ret assured that during the destruction of drugs here will be a lot of police members with the members of the customs dept. and officials from the court laws with other employees designated to destruct the drugs.
@michael andrews
what do you expect, being sold by the Police???? :-)

victor vella

Aug 30th 2008, 20:36

And who is to see to it's destruction?I sincerely hope that it doesnt end up on the street

Michael Andrews

Aug 30th 2008, 20:13

Roughly € 135,000 there for the police to throw away.

S. Camilleri

Aug 30th 2008, 20:02

The bag MUST belong to someone who was on board the flight, otherwise the plane would have never lifted off in the first place. This is a safty procedure to ensure that no one plants for example a bomb. So the police must have a good lead in this case starting by looking in the passenger list.

David Farrugia

Aug 30th 2008, 19:05

I would gues it cost around EUR 300,000 on the street. Whoever left it there must be in deep trouble now. What about security camera footage at the baggage reclaiming area??

simon sullivan

Aug 30th 2008, 18:53

what if that were a case of explosives? are we to think no one checked the contents of the bag till now or where the cops 'slyly' hoping it would get claimed?

Joe borg

Aug 30th 2008, 18:30

Drugs Drugs drugs !!!! Drugs everywhere Drugs !!!! I think Malta is fast becoming a A LIITLE COLOMBIA in the middle of the sea.

William J Gatt

Aug 30th 2008, 18:11

Damn....that's a lot of coke! It must cost a fortune - maybe as big as a super 5 jackpot!