Two remanded in custody for 146kg cocaine bust at Freeport

The pair were among four arrested in a police operation in the Freeport which resulted in a 146kg drug bust which was estimated at a street value of €20 million

Darren Dimech, 46, and Roderick Camilleri, 44 are transported out of the court building to the Corradino Correctional Facility (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)
Darren Dimech, 46, and Roderick Camilleri, 44 are transported out of the court building to the Corradino Correctional Facility (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)

Two men have been remanded in custody after they were arraigned and charged in connection to a significant cocaine seizure earlier this week.

Darren Dimech, 46, and Roderick Camilleri, 44, both denied charges of drug trafficking and criminal association.

The pair were among four arrested in a police operation in the Freeport which resulted in a 146kg drug bust.

The accused did not request bail at this stage.

In the short arraignment, no details emerged about what led to the arrests.

The cocaine was found behind the driver's and passenger's seats, as well as within the container(Photos: Police)
The cocaine was found behind the driver's and passenger's seats, as well as within the container(Photos: Police)

In a statement on Wednesday, the police said that on Tuesday afternoon led to them stopping a trailer that was just about to leave the port. After searching the vehicle, 105kg of cocaine were found hidden behind the driver’s and passenger’s seat.

The container itself contained another 41kg of cocaine.

The police said that the shipment came from Guayaquil in Equador, and unlike other shipments of this scale, the cocaine was meant to supply the local market.

Representing Camilleri were lawyers Jason Azzopardi, Kris Busietta and Alessandro Farrugia while Dimech was represented by lawyer George Anton Buttiġieġ.

Lawyer Maria Francesca Spiteri represented the Attorney General's Office, while inspectors Mark Mercieca, John Leigh Howard, and Francesco Mizzi represented the Police.