The operation to quantify and value the massive cache of drugs discovered hidden inside four shipping containers ended on Wednesday morning, with the Customs Department revealing that the final amount of cannabis resin found totalled 10,729.40 kilos.

The market price is in the region of €28.5 million.

The rigorous process was conducted by the police Anti-Drug Squad and the Forensic Unit, in conjunction with the Malta Customs officials. 

During the operation on Monday, Malta Customs opened four containers which were under suspicion, following clear positive indications by the scanning equipment on two of the containers of inconsistency in the makeup within the containers. 

The first container, which was declared as containing buckets full of detergent liquid, contained 28,436 packets of cannabis resin, weighing a total of 5,687.20 kilogrammes. 

In the second searched container, which was likewise declared as containing pales of detergent liquid, 25,211 pales full of detergent liquid were found, weighing a total of 5,042.20 kilogrammes.

These two containers, in fact, provided clear images in the scanner that the material contained within most probably consisted in drug content, leading to a physical examination that actually confirmed the suspicion indicated by the scanner. 

The third and fourth containers that were searched did not yield any drugs.

The Department of Customs thanked the police, the Security Department of Malta Freeport, who facilitated the smooth operation process that needed to be conducted under strict security, and all of its officials who were involved in the sensitive operation that led to the biggest drug find ever recorded in Malta’ history.

The department also thanked the European Commission, including OLAF, for co-financing, through various programmes, the purchase of the ZBV Backscatter scanner, the Nuctech scanner and the sophisticated analytical electronic equipment, operated by the Customs Intelligence Service, and the setting up of the new Canine Unit, within the Enforcement Directorate.

“These tools are indeed serving their purpose toward the attainment of the new targets which the Department of Customs in Malta is adamant to reach,” the department said.