Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1446843
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JANUARY 2022 NEWS NICOLE MEILAK TRAVEL restrictions and sup- ply chain shocks forced Maltese organised crime groups to adapt to new realities, according to the Malta Security Service (MSS). The publicity-shy agency gave an overview of the local drugs market in its annual report for 2020, tabled in parliament last week. In its report, the security service explains that the mit- igation efforts introduced at the start of the pandemic forced organised crime groups (OCGs) to rethink their traf- ficking methods. "The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed lifestyles. The virus, as well as a variety of measures taken by authori- ties around the world to con- trol the pandemic, affected all aspects of our lives. Like what happened in other countries, Maltese authorities introduced a number of restrictions on travel that affected the modus operandi of OCGs when traf- ficking contraband and other illegal items." A separate government study on local drug markets identi- fied several trade routes used by suppliers to smuggle drugs into Malta. Heroin of Afghan origin is imported through Turkey, North Africa or West- ern European countries, while cocaine is smuggled to Malta mostly through Spain. Synthetic drugs like MDMA, ecstasy and amphetamine are imported from other Europe- an countries, particularly Italy and the Netherlands. "A number of routes and methods exist for drug impor- tation and to bring in contra- band. Since the drug market was sometimes use legal mar- kets to hide products, with the pandemic measures, some routes became problematic for these OCGs to import products into Malta. This is why they had to adapt to the new reality by using other methods," the MSS said. "Restrictions imposed by local authorities on where importers order their product, oftentimes from Europe, also caused sup- ply problems. Despite drugs being available, strict measures meant drug suppliers could not export their products as nor- mal." At an administrative level, the MSS pointed out in its annual report for 2019 that its work on drug cases was hampering its work in other areas expected by a security service agency. Since the MSS is allowed cer- tain interception powers, it is often asked for help in dealing with organised crime groups that deal with drugs. "While the Security Service always as- sists in the best way possible, a lot of its resources are being used in the war against drugs, often to the detriment of other work." But supply issues haven't impacted drug purity. Local narcotics expert Dr Godwin Sammut says that there was no change in the purity of drugs tested in his lab over the span of the pandemic. However, he Pandemic supply shocks spill into the drug market, says Security Service COVID-19 lockdown saw imported drug supplies stopping completely, with drug seizures from entertainment events stopping entirely "During the shutdown, when the airport closed, imported supplies almost stopped completely. And since there were no parties for a while seizures also almost stopped entirely." Dr Godwin Sammut "Like what happened in other countries, Maltese authorities introduced a number of restrictions on travel that affected the modus operandi of OCGs when trafficking contraband and other illegal items."