The army used a nail belt to prevent a young driver from escaping from a checkpoint after he refused orders to stop, a procedure resorted to only in extreme circumstances.

The 20-year-old man was then found to be in possession of drugs, one of several apprehended by the Armed Forces of Malta and the police on Monday night around Ta' Qali, where a party attended by thousands was being held.

An army spokesman said the nail-belt tactic is used very rarely and only in extreme cases when a vehicle has gone beyond the "holding area" of a roadblock.

The driver in this case failed to stop when ordered to do so and as he drove on, soldiers hidden further up the road used the nail-belt to stop the vehicle from getting away.

Its occupant was detained and found to be carrying four blocks of cocaine of undisclosed weight.

Three other drug arrests were made at checkpoints in the same area, including another that was cocaine-related. A 29-year-old man from Sliema was found in possession of two sachets of the powdered drug, a 24-year-old man from Fgura was caught with ecstasy and a 25-year-old man from Balzan with cannabis resin blocks.

Soldiers also detained a 29-year-old man from Msida who was driving with an expired vehicle licence and no insurance cover.

The detainees were handed over to local district police and drug squad for further investigations. Meanwhile, the police said they made six arrests at a party in Ta' Qali on the same night.

All were youths, ranging in age from 17 to 24, found in possession of ecstasy and cocaine.

They hail from Valletta, Floriana, Dingli, Attard and Sliema. They are expected to be arraigned within the next few days.