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15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2024 2024 LOOKING BACK dismembered body, and police leaks with a disability. An autopsy later revealed that the victim had 101 capsules of cocaine in his stomach, and the cause of death was suffocation. The in- vestigation also suggested that the corpse was cut up after the victim's death. Police later arrested 43-year- old Andres Leonardo Gamboa Duran from Colombia in con- nection with the disposal of the body. It emerged in court that inves- tigators were led to Duran after seeing him on CCTV footage in the shop where he bought the suitcase and an axe believed to have been used in the dismem- berment. Along with Duran, police also arrested a 39-year- old Portuguese man. He was not arrested in connection with the same case, however, as police explained that he would face drug-related charges. A young entrepreneur who advertised on TikTok Shifting focus from the more macabre cases, 2024 also saw several notable crimes in- volving drugs and other illicit goods, highlighting the ways in which they are trafficked and sold in Malta. Among them is the case of a young man, who was accused of running several illegal busi- nesses while advertising his products on TikTok. Elton Zammit, a 26-year-old man who works in plumb- ing and maintenance, was ar- raigned on around 20 charges related to money laundering, fraud, and drug trafficking. In November, police received an anonymous tip regarding a TikTok account allegedly advertising sirens and bea- con lights for private vehicles. Following a surveillance oper- ation, the man was allegedly found to be driving a vehicle fitted with beacon lights and a siren that were switched on. The vehicle was also found to be unregistered and without the proper licence. After searching his home, police found a number of fake watches, bags, and jewellery, along with €16,350 in his safe. They also seized pepper spray ready for sale, as well as cash and cloned cards used for cred- it card fraud. The investigation also allegedly found that the suspect was advertising coun- terfeit cash and would be paid for such products in cryptocur- rency. Zammit was also allegedly the owner of a business on the dark web, where illegal substances would be sold from China and then shipped to another coun- try. 246kg of cocaine seized in a few days In November, police seized a total of 246kg of cocaine from the Freeport in two separate drug busts. The larger of the two, weigh- ing 146kg and with a street val- ue of €20 million, raised alarm as the shipment was destined for the local market. This was in contrast to most large-scale Freeport drug busts, where shipments are typically bound for other ports in the Eastern Mediterranean. Four Maltese men were ar- rested on-site, with police charging hauliers Darren Di- mech, 46, the driver of the in- tercepted truck, and Roderick Camilleri, 44, the passenger. Meanwhile, chef Kurt Scicluna was also charged with conspir- acy to traffic drugs, trafficking of cocaine, criminal associa- tion, money laundering, and recidivism. All three men have pleaded not guilty. MaltaToday reported that Scicluna was identified as the person who allegedly appoint- ed Camilleri and Dimech to the job, offering them a generous compensation package worth thousands of euros. This newspaper also discov- ered that Scicluna owns a car dealership in Għaxaq that goes by his initials – KS Autodealer. Sources close to the investiga- tion told MaltaToday that the three men are part of a crim- inal organisation with an in- tricate web of operatives kept together by promises of gen- erous cash payments and fear of retribution from a "ruthless hidden hand." Human trafficking ring In August 2024, the police ar- rested and arraigned eight Mal- tese men, one Maltese woman, and two Romanians on human trafficking and money laun- dering charges. Maltese police conducted raids across several towns, arresting 11 individuals after a two-month investiga- tion into brothels. The defendants are: Luke Farrugia, 36, from Birkirkara, self-employed in the mainte- nance and finishes trade; Clint D'Amato, 36, from Gudja, a driver; Denzil Farrugia, 19, from Marsa, employed in the catering industry; Alexandra Suhov Procora, 32, a Romani- an woman residing in St Paul's Bay, an accountant; Nicolae Efimov, 37, also Romanian, residing in St Paul's Bay; Kane Vassallo, 22, from Siggiewi, a barber; Luca Emanuele Cori- to, 21, from Isla, who declined to state his occupation; Dylan McKay, 30, from Fgura, a taxi driver; and Gordon Cassar, 44, from Żebbug, a maintenance worker.The Colombian sex workers who testified in the court proceedings described how they were duped into coming to Malta under false pretences and how they were forced to work in harrowing conditions. One witness described sleep- ing with five to six clients every day, but would only receive the bulk of the money promised to her by her alleged pimps. She explained how her earnings were collected by one of the accused and that all her work was coordinated through a WhatsApp group. A common factor between the escorts was that they had all travelled to Malta for sex work in order to make money for their families back home. Two police officers suspected of leaking information In the final weeks of 2024, two police officers found them- selves on the opposite side of the law, as they were both sus- pected and investigated for al- legedly leaking sensitive infor- mation to third parties. Cherise Camilleri, 28, from Qormi, was first arrested and arraigned for allegedly leaking information related to police operations to third parties. The court heard that, during an in- vestigation, a number of con- fidential sources had told the police that an officer from the drugs squad had been leaking information about police oper- ations for months "and possi- bly years." Investigators also examined the social media profiles of a person of interest in an investi- gation, which revealed that the person and the accused knew each other. Police later arrested Ruud Bu- hagiar, a gym owner accused of bribing Camilleri in order to obtain information. Both deny the charges against them. A few weeks later, Kurt Rizzo, a police officer working within the Special Interventions Unit, was also investigated over sus- pected information leaks to third parties. However, at the time of writ- ing, Rizzo has not yet been charged with any crime, and it is unclear whether his case is connected to that of Cherise Camilleri. The son of former police com- missioner John Rizzo and the brother of a magistrate, Rizzo was suspended from his duties and is currently on police bail.