Two charged with attempted murder after alleged drug deal gone wrong in Marsaskala

Two men have been charged with attempted murder in connection with a knife attack on two Sicilian men, in what sources say was a drug deal gone wrong.

The incident, which took place at 6:30pm on Tuesday inside an apartment in Triq is-Sikka, Marsaskala, reportedly left two Sicilian men, aged 52 and 37, grievously wounded, requiring surgery.

27-year-old Ans Ghodban, a Hungarian citizen residing in San Gwann, and 30-year-old Adnan Saed, a Libyan citizen living in Valletta were arraigned before magistrate Leonard Caruana this afternoon, accused of the attempted murder of one of the men and the grievous bodily harm of both victims. They were further accused of detaining the two men against their will, as well as the theft of cash aggravated by violence, value, and place. Additional charges of carrying a knife during the commission of a crime and carrying a knife in public without a police permit. 

Saed alone was further charged with breaching his bail conditions and recidivism, while Ghodban was separately accused of disobeying lawful police orders, giving the police false particulars and recidivism.

Saed, who said he was a taxi driver, pleaded not guilty. Ghodban, who told the court he worked in construction, also denied the charges against him. 

Ghodban is a repeat offender with past convictions for violent crime. Saed, too, has a criminal history, most notably having been jailed for masterminding the theft of nearly €49,000 from a restaurant at is-Suq tal-Belt in 2019.

The defence lawyers did not request bail at this stage, but reserved the right to request it at the opportune stage. They also asked the court to appoint an expert to examine the defendants. Inspector Camilleri informed the court that a medico-legal expert had already done so as part of the magisterial inquiry into the incident.

One of the prosecuting officials, Police Inspector Wayne Camilleri, testified about the arrests, explaining that on July 11, the police had received a report of two men being injured in a fight at a residence in Marsaskala in which incident a knife had been used. The Sicilian victims resided there, he said. One of the men attacked, Michele Artale, had immediately told the police that two men had attacked them and that one of the attackers was Ghodban, known by his nickname “Ghaddafi.“ The other victim confirmed that two men had attacked him but said he did not know their names.

Sources with knowledge of the case inform the MaltaToday that the argument had broken out between the four men while they were negotiating the sale of half a kilogramme of cocaine.

The aggressors are understood to have used a knife and broken glass to assault the other two men, before fleeing the scene.

Inspector Camilleri said that the police investigations discovered that the aggressors had used a red rental car, registered to Saeed who was known to the police as he had just been released on bail in connection with a very similar case.

Saed was arrested shortly afterwards at the Mosta polyclinic where he was being treated for a fractured finger. After being traced to an apartment in San Gwann, Ghodban had unsuccessfully tried to evade arrest by hiding in a shaft in the apartment complex.

One of the men attacked is 52-year-old convicted drug trafficker Michele Artale, a resident of Zurrieq who is understood to have only recently been released from prison. That judgement is not available online.

Artale’s name is synonymous with drug trafficking, him having previously been arrested at Pozzallo in 2014 while on his way to Malta with 1.1kg of marijuana. He had also been charged with drug trafficking and money laundering last year, in connection with the discovery of 1kg of cocaine and €40,000 in cash at his residence in Zurrieq.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Charles Mercieca assisted Adnan. Lawyer Ishmael Psaila appeared for Ans Ghodban. Lawyers Jacob Magri and Arthur Azzopardi are representing the parte civile.

Inspectors Wayne Camilleri and Kurt Farrugia prosecuted, assisted by lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Ramon Bonett Sladden from the Office of the Attorney General.