Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522096
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JUNE 2024 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "Geographically, Malta is in a perfect position," he said. "If we're talking about trafficking of huge quantities, and larger criminal net- works, Malta tends to be used for its logistics base and its strategic position as a transit country." Record quantities of cocaine have been intercepted by Customs in the past. In 2022 Customs seized a record-breaking 1.5 tonnes of Co- lombian cocaine, with an estimat- ed street value of €300 million. But these amounts are never des- tined for Malta, according to Mal- colm Bondin. "Malta is a transit country […] There are vessels that leave South America and come to Malta directly, without stopping in any other country. This makes Malta strategically placed within the EU." Police inspector Clive Victor Borg agreed that most organised crime groups in Malta stay in the country for short periods of time, mostly to exploit the island's stra- tegic location for logistical purpos- es. "The drug market supply chain is split across four stages," he ex- plained. "The first is in obtaining the raw material and manufac- turing, then it's logistics, then the drug needs to find the right mar- ket, and after it's sold you have the laundering of proceeds." Bondin pointed out that Mal- ta is well-connected to serve as a logistics base for organised crime groups, noting good sea travel connections with Italy as well as connections to Libya. "But in Malta we don't have the size to produce certain amounts of drugs. I'm not saying it's impossi- ble, but it would be small, limited amounts." Seasonal and opportunistic crime Bondin said there are plenty of seasonal organised crime groups, but some involve themselves be- tween Malta and third countries. These tend to be the bigger crime groups that work in drugs and smuggling. Malta's attractiveness to tour- ists makes it a target for organised crime groups (OCGs), particularly those focusing on theft and scams. "Organised crime groups target tourism-heavy areas," Bondin said. "They engage in pickpocketing, tourist scams, card readers. Wher- ever there is a booming economy, you will find these people." Borg said pickpocketing tends to increase in summer because of in- creased opportunity. "Malta is also part of an open border network, the Schengen. Criminal groups can use these open borders to fa- cilitate their movement. It's not a bad thing, but we have to acknowl- edge that law enforcement needs to do more because of this." Ultimately, organised crime is going to go wherever there is op- portunity, Bondin explained. "It's going to go where it can thrive, where it can get products, carry out logistics, it goes where people have money. It's not going to go somewhere where the economy is bad and people don't have money." Borg added that organised crime groups, while opportunistic, al- ways measure the risks of what they are going to do. "As law enforcement we are bound by laws and procedures, but these people don't care. They're always three to four steps ahead. They exploit opportunities." Crime goes where there's opportunity and valuables Apart from tourist-targeted crimes, many organised crime groups in Malta tend to engage in theft. Bondin recalled catching one 'Malta well-connected to serve as a logistics Assistant Police Commissioner Malcolm Bondin (left) and Inspector Clive Borg (Photos: James BInachi / MaltaToday) Left: A cocaine shipment hidden in a container of bananas busted at Malta Freeport in 2022 was estimated to have a street value of €300 million and (right) an 800kg cocaine cache found in a container originating in Colombia in 2022 (Photos: Malta Customs)