Timely police action results in arrest of nightclub gold thief in Italy

Quick thinking and cooperation between two district police stations led to the return of some 20 gold necklaces stolen from Maltese nightclubs and the arrest of the thief as soon as his flight to Italy landed.

Food courier Salvatore Fracchia, 24, from Genoa, Italy was arraigned under arrest before Magistrate Joe Gatt on Thursday, charged with conspiracy to commit an imprisonable offence, handling stolen goods as well as several counts of theft, aggravated by violence, time and value.

Police Inspector Daryl Farr, who prosecuted together with fellow inspectors Nico Zarb and James Mallia, assisted by prosecutor Giuliana Magro Conti from the Office of the Attorney General, explained what had led to Fracchia’s arrest.

On June 1 this year, two men, Filippo Cosentino and Soufiane Amarir, had been arrested, and subsequently jailed, in connection with numerous reports of gold necklaces, some valued as high as €9,000, being stolen from nightclub patrons in establishments at St. Julians and Rabat between May and June. 

But police investigators were unable to find any of the stolen items. They concluded, on the basis of hotel and flight bookings, that they must be in the possession of a third man who had been named by his convicted accomplices: Fracchia. 

The investigators had immediately informed border control authorities to be on the lookout for him, but the police were a few minutes too late, and were told that Fracchia was already airborne and heading for Italy on a flight that had just taken off. 

The district police immediately reached out to the Italian authorities, who apprehended Fracchia upon arrival and found the gold items which had been reported stolen from various places around Malta in his suitcase. 

He was subsequently arrested in Milan and returned to Malta on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant drawn up by the Maltese authorities, arriving on July 30.

In court today, Fracchia pleaded guilty to the charges, confirming his admission of guilt after being given time to reconsider. 

Addressing the court through an interpreter, the defendant said that he wanted to apologise.

The court said that he would have time to apologise later, before proceeding to hear submissions on punishment.

The prosecution and defence filed a joint note with their submissions, suggesting two and a half years in jail as a fitting punishment. 

The court was told that Fracchia had cooperated with the police after being returned from Italy and that the stolen gold items were currently being returned to their respective owners.

The magistrate, noted the defendant’s apology to the victims and Maltese society in general and upheld the joint submissions on punishment, condemning Fracchia to imprisonment for two and a half years.

Lawyer Brandon Kirk Muscat assisted Fracchia, while Prosecutor Giuliana Magro Conti assisted the police inspectors.