A Maltese man waiting to board a ferry in Pozzallo has been arrested after being caught with a 22kg drug stash hidden in his car, Sicilian media have reported.

The €5 million haul included 11 packets of cocaine weighing a total of 13kg and 11 packets of heroin weighing a further 9kg. It is one of Ragusa province's biggest-ever drug hauls.  

The 49-year-old suspect was behind the wheel of a car with UK licence plates and minutes away from board the Jean de la Valette ferry when he caught police officers' attention. 

According to reports in La Sicilia, the man looked nervous, was sweating profusely and had trembling hands as he answered officers' questions "evasively". 

A detailed search of his car revealed an ingenious secret compartment hidden behind the car's rear seats. 

"The compartment was only accessible by pressing a button which raised the rear seat using a hydraulic suspension system," La Sicilia reported.

The suspect remains under arrest in Ragusa. 

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