local news

Brutal Maltese human traffickers on the loose

- victims found with blows to head, Maltese arrested identified

The unscrupulous Maltese immigrant smugglers, thought to be responsible for the deaths of two Iraqis and two North Africans this week were released from custody for lack of evidence.

The police have reportedly made one arrest and have questioned nine others. Sicilian daily, La Sicilia, reported yesterday that the arrested is Ivan Xuereb from Mosta who keeps his speedboats, which are powerful enough to reach the Sicilian shoreline in just over half an hour, berthed at St Paul’s Bay.

However, the police by law must release Mr Xuereb after 48 hours if hard evidence is not produced against him.

The suspected ring leader of the group of traffickers suspected of being responsible for the deaths of at least two Iraqi anti-Saddam dissidents and two North Africans, found washed ashore on the beach of Ragusa with wounds to the head, was released yesterday after speedboats suspected to have been used in the tragic incident were found to be clean with no evidence of trafficking aboard.

According to eye-witness accounts, the speedboat owned and commandeered by Maltese stopped far from the Sicilian shoreline and the clandestines were told to swim the rest of the way. However, when four of the clandestines had protested that they could not swim, they were thrown into the water regardless, most with the assistance of blows to the head. This treacherous act appears to be common procedure, as in a separate incident that took place a few days before, a clandestine reported that another had been hit in the head with an oar after he had refused to jump into the night sea.

An autopsy carried out on the deceased found that they had died of asphyxia caused by drowning and also showed various wounds to the head and other parts of the body.

Maltese law says that the group cannot be detained for a period over 48 hours unless they are caught breaking the law red-handed. However, it remains unanswered how such persons could be caught by surprise when they operate undercover of the night in international waters.

Italians are viewing the arrest as a mere gesture of good will, which, unfortunately will fail to produce concrete results.

Mr Xuereb was released yesterday as allegations singling him out as the ring-leader of this particular band are not substantial enough to keep him in custody.

Precise details of how such clandestine operations from Malta are carried out remain unknown for the time being, but La Sicilia has its own views on the process.
It explains, "A ship packed with illegal immigrants leaves a Turkish or Tunisian port and, in international waters transfers its shipment to large speedboats or fishing boats, which leave from a strategic point in Malta. Always at night, the clandestines are brought to within 100 to 200 metres from the (Sicilian) beach, at which point they are thrown into the water. And if they don’t know how to swim, they are thrown in all the same – a blow to the head and the deed is done.

"This explains the four dead found on the beach of Ragusa with wounds to the head. The operation is then over and the (Maltese) smugglers receive their commission from the captain of the original ship and return to base."

The report goes on to say that the Maltese are responsible for first degree murder, but there are no witnesses to speak out against them in Malta. The only material witnesses are the survivors of the latest fiasco and it is incomprehensible why they have not already been brought to Malta to identify Mr Xuereb and his accomplices.

However, such an identification also has its own inherent problems, as the smugglers invariably wear disguises which render them unrecognisable.