A Maltese man was among the suspects arrested by the Italian law enforcement authorities in an operation dubbed “Operazione La Vallette”.
The Italian finance police made 16 arrests and seized 430kg of drugs consisting of cocaine, hashish and marijuana. A raid, which saw more than 100 officers from the Catanese provincial command of the Guardia di Finanza, with their counterparts from Ragusa and the SCICO, the Central Investigations Service on Organised Crime; was carried out at dawn, and the officers arrested suspects in Catania, Ragusa, Syracuse and Calabria.
The drug ring consists of Ragusan, Albanian and Maltese individuals who trafficked and sold cocaine, hashish and marijuana in Sicily, Lombardy and Malta, which they purchased from Albania, Puglia and Calabria.
Maltese national John Spiteri was among those arrested, according to the reports. Spiteri is suspected of handling the Maltese end of the operation.
Italian media reported that Rosario Amico is believed to have led the drug ring, along with his associates Pietro Sessa and Lucia Amenia, who helped him procure the drugs.
The drugs were acquired in Albania from Eriseld, Ledi and Emiljano Hoxhaji, and then resold in Sicily and Malta.
Alessandro and Giuseppe Agostino, together with Antonio Bevilacqua, are also suspected of supplying cocaine, cannabis and cannabis resin to Amico, sometimes with the help of Salvatore Agostino and Rocco Bevilacqua.
Roberto Melfi is accused of being a buyer of cocaine, which he allegedly resold in the provinces of Milan and Monza.
The Court of Catania has ordered that 15 suspects are held in preventive custody in prison while the 16th individual, who had no previous criminal record and is thought to have transported the drugs, was placed under house arrest and is requested to report to the authorities.
The suspects are expected to be charged with trafficking and forming part of criminal organisation.
https://newsbook.com.mt/en/maltese-man-among-16-arrested-by-italian-police/
