Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1300177
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2020 10 GANGLAND MALTA REPORT by Matthew Vella, MaltaToday, Ja- cob Borg and Ivan Martin for Times of Malta as part of a joint collaboration coinciding with the three-year anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia IN late 2011, three masked and heavily-armed men walked into a Żebbuġ warehouse owned by a major narcotics smuggler. With no shots fired, they walked out with a 20-kilogram shipment of cocaine that police in- vestigators say had an estimated street value of €1.4 million. But this drug heist, which for the past nine years went unreported, is believed to have been the last straw in brewing gangland tensions which trig- gered a series of violent killings that shocked the country. Nearly a decade of unsolved car bombings and shootings later, one of Malta's most senior police investigators says the "vendetta war" saw a major criminal network dismantled. Enter what police sources describe as two "un- touchable" siblings – Adrian and Robert Agius – known as Tal-Maksar. Believed to be linked to Malta's underworld, Robert Agius has been named as one of the suppliers of the bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia, by Vincent Mus- cat 'il-Koħħu', one of the men accused of carrying out the assassination. But are the police connecting the dots between these violent gangland killings? This joint report by Times of Malta and MaltaToday pieces to- gether the rise of Tal-Maksar. Who are the Agius brothers? They are the sons of Raymond Agius 'tal-Mak- sar', a suspected contraband cigarette smuggler with interests in construction and a car dealer- ship, who was shot dead in 2008 in what is be- lieved to have been a hit ordered by a rival smug- gler. Police investigators think Agius senior's ri- vals believed he was tipping off police about his competitors' smuggling activities in exchange for protection. He was shot twice in the head by an assassin in a motorcycle helmet while at Butterfly Bar in Birkirkara. The murder remains unsolved. The gangland war It was in the last week of November 2011, that a heist was carried out on suspected trafficker Ray- mond Caruana's warehouse along the Żebbug bypass. The thieves, three masked men, stole around 20 kilos of cocaine destined to be shipped out of Malta again. At the time, Caruana was considered a major player in the underworld, according to police sources. Caruana had suspected three known criminals and close associates of his of carrying out the heist: Paul Degabriele, a former soldier known as 'is-Suldat', Joseph Cutajar known as 'il-Lion', and Alfred Degiorgio known as 'il-Fu- lu' – the latter charged with carrying out the car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia. Police believe Caruana, furious over the betray- al and theft of the drugs, had hired two hitmen, a 32-year-old from Għaxaq, and another 32-year- old of Fgura to murder il-Lion, whom he suspect- ed of organising the cocaine robbery. Towards the end of 2012, the hitmen planned to shoot him in an underground complex of Marsascala garag- es, but the hit went awry and il-Lion, known to carry a concealed weapon, shot his way out and killed the two men. A bomb was also found under a car belonging to is-Suldat. The device, however, did not detonate. Investigators believed that, just like the assassins sent to kill il-Lion, the bomb had been placed there as payback for the stolen cocaine. Meanwhile, il-Lion posted bail for shooting the would-be assassins sent to kill him. But he was shot dead soon in December 2012, as he emerged from his car in Mosta. He was shot 12 times with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in what was described by police sources as a professional hired hit. Sources said is-Suldat had approached the po- lice with information saying the explosive had Malta's mystery: gangland wars Apr 2008 • Murder of car dealer Raymond Agius at Butterfly Bar: unsolved Nov 2010 • Murder of businessman Joe Baldacchino: criminal Romeo Bone investigated, not charged, case unsolved Nov 2012 • Disappearance of Terence Gialanze, alleged drug dealer: presumed dead Dec 2012 • Gangland murders of Josef Grech 'il-Yoyo' and Joseph Cutajar 'il-Lion': Cutajar had shot dead one of two hitmen sent to kill him; the other died in hospital Feb 2013 • Meat factory owner Ronald Galea, 65 of Birkirkara, shot dead in Hal Far May 2013 • Paul Degabriele, long targeted by bomb attempts, shot dead in Marsa: he had been questioned in connection with 2012 murder of Joseph Cutajar Jan 2014 • Loan shark Guzi Galea 'il-Gilda' killed: shot outside Marsa home, unsolved Feb 2014 • Murder of alleged bomb-maker Pietru Cassar: unsolved Apr 2014 • Attempted murder of Vince Muscat 'il-Kohhu': accused is Jonathan Pace (Tyson Butcher) Jun 2014 • Murder of Marsaxlokk restaurateur Darren Degabriele by car bomb: unsolved Aug 2014 • Jonathan Pace is murdered at home, shot dead Oct 2014 • More Supermarkets: owner Ryan Schembri leaves island, Adrian Agius described by DCG as being part of 'crime gang' connected to high-interest loans scheme fronted by the More owner Oct 2015 • Lawer Carmel Chircop shot dead outside Birkikara garage complex. He had loaned €750,000 interest free to More Supermarkets' Ryan Schembri. Adrian Agius placed his Madliena villa as a guarantee, later filing legal action to repeal the guarantee after Chircop's death. Jan 2016 • Fisherman Martin Cachia murdered by car bomb, has criminal priors Sep 2016 • Haulier Josef Cassar survives car bomb: loses legs in Aldo Moro car explosion Oct 2016 • Businessman John Camilleri murdered by car bomb: he was in a court feud with George Degiorgio over €52,000 he was owed for a property he had given him back in 1996. Jan 2017 • Victor Calleja murdered by car bomb: previously implicated in 1998 Group 4 heist Feb 2017 • Romeo Bone targeted in car bomb: was investigated on Baldacchino murder, and acquitted of stalking Mario Portelli, discredited witness who claimed 2010 HSBC heist was masterminded by former police inspector, now lawyer David Gatt His son is Adrian Agius (circled) one of 10 men arrested after the DCG assassination in Dec 2017 Daphne writes four posts (697 words) about Adrian Agius, a one-time principal of a More Supermarket Daphne makes brief mentions of Gialanze's disappearance; two years later in the More Supermarket bust she claims he was a friend of Adrian Agius Camilleri knew George and Alfred Degiorgio over several years His sons are Robert and Adrian Agius, two of the 10 men arrested after the DCG assassination Gangland saga: top, the hit on Joseph Cutajar 'il-Lion', shot dead in the early morning as he emerged from his car. Bottom, the February 2014 murder of the alleged bombmaker from Zejtun, Pietru Cassar 'il-Haqqa' "Horrific": the 2017 car bomb that blew Romeo Bone's legs clean off. Bone had been investigated on the 2010 Baldacchino murder