Sicily police nab Maltese man carrying 22kg of cocaine and heroin in his car

A 49-year-old Maltese man was arrested in Sicily after police found 22kg of heroin and cocaine, worth around €5 million, hidden in his car, Italian newspaper La Sicilia has reported.

The man, who was driving a car with UK license plates and was waiting to board the ferry Jean de la Valette in Pozzallo, attracted the attention of officers of the Guardia di Finanzia (Italian law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance), because he looked very nervous and was sweating profusely.

The police said that the man’s hands were trembling when they approached to ask him some questions and that he did not provide a convincing explanation as to why he was travelling through Italy.

They decided to proceed with a search of the car and brought in a canine unit which immediately reacted to the presence of drugs. The police said they found the drugs hidden in a secret compartment behind the car’s rear seats.

The rear seats rose on a hydraulic system after a hidden button was activated.

In all, 11 packets of cocaine weighing a total of 13kg and 11 packets of heroin weighing a further 9kg were recovered.

The man was immediately arrested and is being detained in the Ragusa prison.