Drug kingpin Jordan Azzopardi re-arrested in Madliena car chase

The drug baron Jordan Azzopardi, accused of running a secret factory in Wardija, has been arrested by police again after a police car chase that ended in Madliena today, Friday, at around 4pm.

Azzopardi was out on bail while facing serious drug trafficking charges.

The arrest came at the end of a police drugs squad operation that monitored Azzopardi, 32, while in his BMW SUV, disposing of a bag believed to contain drugs.

Azzopardi was held under arrest since March 2019 when he was detained along with his girlfriend, following police raids on his properties used for drug trafficking.

He stands charged with drug trafficking, criminal conspiracy, money laundering, circulation of counterfeit cash, possession of an unlicensed weapon, threatening and injuring a third party and breaching previous bail conditions.

His girlfriend was also arraigned and charged with criminal conspiracy, circulation of fake cash and defrauding three shops.

But Azzopardi was granted bail in 2021, his conditions including signing a bail book every day, observing a curfew and other conditions. It was secured by a €150,000 personal guarantee. A third party guarantor was also required to provide a €50,000 guarantee which would also be forfeited if Azzopardi breached his bail conditions.

A court had denied the Attorney General’s request for the re-arrest of Azzopardi, saying that electronic tagging was a more “serious, effective and efficient” means of ensuring compliance with bail conditions than signing a bail book twice daily.

In December 2021, Azzopardi was sentenced to seven months in prison after being found guilty of threatening two persons and assaulting a man. The court also imposed a 3 year restraining order in favour of the victims, which will begin to apply once Azzopardi has served his sentence.