Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1316125
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 DECEMBER 2020 NEWS Maria Efimova MATTHEW VELLA ONE of Malta's greatest drug sei- zures by its Customs directorate has been a large consignment of Tramadol, an analgesic whose strength is claimed to be about 10% of morphine. Tramadol is used to treat both acute and chronic pain, and con- sidered as a medicinal drug with a low potential for dependence. But there is growing evidence of abuse of tramadol in some Afri- can and West Asian countries considering large seizures of such preparations in North and West Africa. Abuse of tramadol is reported by Egypt, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and Togo. Because of increasing rate of abuse, Egypt has up-sched- uled tramadol in 2009. Malta Customs seized approxi- mately 225 million pills between 2015 and 2018 in Operation Pea- cock Pills, when 1.2 billion pills were seized globally by partici- pating countries. The value of the seized pills is considered to reach circa €1.2 billion. "Tramadol is a prescriptive drug. However, prescriptions of such drugs are generally in small dos- es. The amounts seized by Malta Customs are in large dozes and it is believed that these were des- tined to stimulate soldiers or free- dom fighters to conduct attacks or fights under a hallucinating ef- fect," the Customs said this week in a statement reporting on the Tramadol seizures. A December 2017 report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, found that 'yearly seizures of tramadol in sub-Saharan Africa have risen from 300 kg to over three tons since 2013'. Niger has emerged as a key gateway for tramadol trafficked from Nigeria, where it is readily available and fuelling a widespread addiction crisis, partly due to the country's lax monitoring of pharmaceuti- cals. From Nigeria, consignments of tramadol are trafficked main- ly to consumer markets in Libya and, now, to a lesser extent, Niger and Mali. Between 2015 and 2020, Malta Customs seized drugs worth over €110.2 million in street value. The interception of large quan- tities of cocaine, cannabis resin and increasingly heroin trans- ported by sea in containers is raising concerns on the infiltra- tion by organised crime groups of logistical supply chains, shipping routes and large ports, the Malta Customs has said. "Considering that business re- lated with narcotics may provide links to global organised crime groups, Malta Customs has been disseminating all the information pertaining to these seizures to for- eign counterparts and investiga- tive institutions," the department said. Drugs destined for warzone Malta seized 225 million pills of Tramadol, the freedom fighter's drug of choice Today 100 best recipes Today 100 best recipes FOOD Saying it aS it iS SAVIOUR BALZAN Volume I In volume 1 of 'Saying it as it is', Saviour Balzan tells the story of his journey from being an active environmentalist, to becoming a teacher, a politician, a journalist and finally, the owner of a media house. In his uncouth and abrasive style, he speaks frankly about the thankless job of being an investigative reporter and what running a media house truly entails. But perhaps more interesting, however, are the anecdotes and inside stories also embedded in the narrative, which pick up on key happenings over the past few years. The book also has a semi-autobiographical streak, as Balzan reminisces over the incidents that ended up having an effect on his writings. He uncovers the political networks and the friends and foes of the politicians who dominated the Maltese political scene for the past 35 years. Zoning in on events which he believes left a lasting impact on readers, Balzan expands on the background behind important news stories. In 'Saying it as it is', what emerges most clearly is that scandals have no political boundaries. Saviour Balzan takes us through a brief journey of his journalistic work. He also underscores the influence of politics and politicians in Malta, and the challenges of independent journalism. MediaToday Co. Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann. SGN 9016, Malta www.maltatoday.com.mt Saying it aS it iS Volume I SAVIOUR BALZAN SAVIOUR BALZAN was born in Birkirkara, Malta in 1963. He was a biology and environmental science teacher for eight years and a part-time journalist during that time. He was active in the environmental lobby and later co-founded the Green Party in 1989 but left politics altogether in 1997. He worked for the newspapers il-Fehma, Alternattiva, The People, and The Independent. He was appointed editor of MaltaToday in 1999 and today co-owns that same newspaper, as well as the independent media company MediaToday based in San Gwann. At MaltaToday he built a reputation for running the most daring, investigative and independent newsroom. He hosted the TV discussion programme Reporter for seven years on PBS until his programme was stopped in 2009. He now hosts the same daily discussion programme on Favourite Channel. He lives in Naxxar with his wife and two children. €30 ISBN 978-99957-0-427-8 20mm All round Bleed DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS Charles Gauci Dragonflies are large, oen brightly coloured, insects which few people would not notice actively flying over water, whether it is while walking along water reservoirs in valleys or while visiting gardens where water features are present. However, these are only one stage in their life cycle aer having spent a much longer period living under water as larvae. Most species of dragonflies and damselflies are highly habitat specific in both their larval and adult stages. e Maltese Islands lack most types of riparian habitats and as a result the number of species found locally is very small. is is compensated for by the high concentration of these insects at most water bodies. is book describes each of the nineteen species recorded in the Maltese Islands and each species is amply illustrated by photographs which, for the commoner species, illustrate most or all the stages in their life cycle. It is hoped that besides being of help and interest to nature lovers, it will also raise a much needed awareness among the general public about biodiversity and nature conservation,. e author spent fourteen years teaching Integrated Science and Biology at secondary State schools before moving to the Għadira Nature Reserve where he was Managing Warden until his retirement twenty four years later. He has been interested in dragonflies for the last ten years. Having been an avid bird watcher since his early teens, he co-authored a number of ornithological books – Bird Studies on Filfla, L-Agħsafar, A Guide to the Birds of Malta, A New Guide to the Birds of Malta and e Breeding Birds of Malta. He also co-authored several ornithological papers and was the editor of BirdLife Malta's scientific journal 'il- Merill' from 1986 to 1994. Since his initial interest in dragonflies in 2008 he has been so fascinated by these wonderful insects to the extent that they now oen take precedence over birds. ISBN: 978-99957-894-0-4 CHURCHES IN MALTA maltatoday PART 1 TOWERS, FORTS & BATTERIES IN MALTA maltatoday MALTATODAY ©2017 in collaboration with the MTA TOWERS, FORTS & BATTERIES IN MALTA maltatoday CHURCHES PART 2 maltatoday MALTATODAY ©2019 in collaboration with the MTA IN GOZO maltatoday CHURCHES IN GOZO