Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542182
CONTINUES PAGE 1 As for the August shooting, a spokesperson said "investiga- tions and a magisterial inquiry are still ongoing". The two contractors had been business partners, along with other prominent Gozitan busi- nesspersons, in companies in- volved in concrete production and quarrying. However, ac- cording to sources in Gozo, the two fell out around a year ago. MaltaToday is not privy to the cause of the dispute but under- stands it is of a financial nature. However, in an even more sin- ister twist to the plot, the same sources pointed towards the arrest of a Croatian national in October, who was subsequently charged with drug trafficking, as a possible trigger for the lat- est escalation. Nenad Kovacic, a 45-year-old Xagħra resident, was arrested on 14 October after an anony- mous tip-off informed the po- lice of a suspicious Toyota Rav 4 that was about to disembark the Gozo ferry at the port of Mġarr. Police found 18 blocks of co- caine, weighing around 18kg, concealed inside a sports bag in the boot. A subsequent search of the man's residence in Xagħra, a rented house, yielded 52 additional blocks of cocaine that were found inside shop- ping bags. On 16 October, Kovacic was charged at the Gozo law court with trafficking 76kg of cocaine which had a street value of around €9 million. He pleaded not guilty and the compilation of evidence against him is on- going. Testifying in court on 21 Oc- tober, a police inspector said Kovacic had told investigators that he had made the trip from Malta to Gozo three times and was expecting €3,000 as pay- ment. MaltaToday is not privy as to who promised Kovacic pay- ment for handling the drugs and making the channel cross- ing. Neither does this newspa- per know who the illicit mer- chandise belongs to and how this incident is linked to either of the feuding contractors. However, according to sourc- es privy to the situation, the ac- cused used to work for one of the business partners. When he was first arraigned at the Gozo law court, Kovacic was seen wearing a police bul- let proof jacket and escorted by heavily-armed police officers. He is currently being held in prison after his bail application was denied. 4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 DECEMBER 2025 NEWS Gozo drug trafficking case possible trigger for latest escalation The fork lifter that was shot at on a street in Rabat, Gozo last August (Photo: Newsbook) The drugs packaged under the labels Nando and Ferrari that were found by police in Nenad Kovacic's car and residence during searches. Police received an anonymous tip-off about the vehicle and stopped it as it disembarked from the Gozo ferry in Mgarr (Photo: Police)