Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1527639
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 OCTOBER 2024 2 MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Lawyer Charles Mercieca told the court that Davkovski would not be answering any of the court's questions. All pleaded not guilty to the charges. Police Inspector Mark Mer- cireca told the court that some months before the operation, the police had received infor- mation about a Serbian gang in Malta which might be involved in drug trafficking, weapons pos- session and false documents. Nikola Vujakovic was iden- tified first, with the police dis- covering that he lived in Zabbar with his girlfriend, Lerinc, but would turn up at several other residences throughout the day. He was observed to make use of several vehicles and a proper- ty in Marskala. Initial surveillance confirmed that the defendants would use both the Zabbar and Marsaska- la properties as well visit several commercial establishments in the latter town. On 5 October 2024, the police had started a round-the-clock surveillance operation targeting the group to confirm the infor- mation they had received. Leric would live at Marsaskala, said the inspector. A Volvo driven by Nikola Vu- jakovic and two other men, was observed leaving his Zabbar res- idence and driving to a nearby field in which a number of aban- doned vehicles were dumped. He was observed taking a bag out of his Volvo and filling it with items that had been stashed in one of the abandoned vehi- cles, a Peugeot. He was then seen to drive to- wards Bahar ic-Caghaq, and was followed by the police, but was lost in traffic soon after. The Peugeot, which was regis- tered to another man, was also placed under surveillance. On October 6, Nikola Vujak- ovic was seen approaching the Peugeot on a motorbike with Lerinc riding pillion. He took something out of the Peuge- ot and put it in a bag. He drove to a house in Marsaskala and dropped off the bag outside. A man, later identified as Rogazione, was then seen to pick up the bag. The contents of the bag were identified by the police to be a block of what ap- peared to be cocaine. Rogazione was arrested together with his girlfriend. Vujakovic and Lerinc were also arrested soon after. A search of the residence re- covered a single sachet of sus- pected cocaine together with a small amount of cannabis and a firearm that is currently being tested for functionality as well as a cash counting machine. Several mobile phones and digital weighing scales were dis- covered with cash, inside the car and over €14,000 were found inside the glove compartment. Vujakovic was carrying €3,600 in cash in his wallet at the time of his arrest. In the residence keys to several vehicles were also found. Vujakovic told the police that he had only just recently bought one of the cars, in which a large amount of cannabis was discov- ered, but the police said that he had been seen repeatedly access- ing it in the days before. Davkovsky was arrested in- side the Marsaskala property. He had tried to walk away from the property when the police arrived, said the inspector, who added that he had claimed to be the cleaner. Blocks of cocaine in varying states of preparation were found inside the house, he said. Approximately 7kg of cannabis and 7kg of cocaine were found in total. In every residence that was searched, the police had also found documents which they suspected were forged and are now being analysed, he said. The court imposed freezing or- ders over all of the assets belong- ing to the defendants, which the defence registered objections to. Lawyer Franco Debono Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin for the Vujakovics and Lerinc Lawyer Charles Mercieca as- sisted Davkovski. Lawyer Julia Micallef Stafrace appeared for Rogazione as legal aid. Prosecutor Maria Francesca Spiteri assisted police inspec- tors Mark Mercieca, Jonathan Cassar, Jonathan Pace and Oscar Baldacchino. Five deny trafficking charges after police raids recover 14kg of drugs at several properties 7kg of cocaine and 7kg of cannabis were seized in the operation (Photos: Malta Police) BIRDLIFE Malta has called for a 200-metre buffer zone around schools to be designated as bird sanctuaries, as the NGO claimed that a protected bird has been shot near a school in Rabat. BirdLife stated that on the after- noon of 7 October, a teacher at the Archbishop's Seminary found a European Honey-buzzard in the school's bushes. After seeing that the bird was shot and injured, the teacher attempted to contact the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) to no avail, before reaching out to BirdLife Malta. A team was promptly sent to recover the bird and take it to a veterinarian. "This incident marks the 22nd shot bird BirdLife Malta has recovered since September 1. Among the shot birds, 12 have been birds of prey, including species such as Eurasian Hobby, Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel and Eleonora's Falcon. In the last two weeks alone, seven Europe- an Honeybuzzards have been rescued. Other targeted species include Common Greenshank, Night-heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Common Hoopoe, Euro- pean Bee-eater and European Turtle-dove." The NGO warned that birds of prey are particularly vulner- able as they roost in trees, mak- ing them easy targets. They have also highlighted the risks posed to schools, with hunting near educational institutions putting wildlife and children in harm's way. The organisation is calling for a 200-meter buffer zone around schools to be designated as bird sanctuaries. "Schools should be places where students can learn to ap- preciate and connect with wild- life, not where protected species are gunned down just outside their grounds," BirdLife CEO, Mark Sultana stated. The NGO has submitted this proposal to the Ornis Commit- tee and expects no opposition from voting members. BirdLife calls for 200m buffer zones around schools to become bird sanctuaries (Photo: BirdLife Malta)