Alfred Bugeja, known to many as Il-Porporina, has died at the age of 67.

Bugeja passed away at St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly, just two weeks after being released on parole from Corradino Correctional Facility.

Bugeja spent most of his adult life in and out of prison, convicted of multiple crimes most of which carried out in the 1980s and 1990s.

He had revealed in an interview in 2024 that his criminal career began at the age of 14 when he was encouraged to steal a pair of wipers by a schoolteacher.

His notoriety peaked in the early 1990s with a series of high-profile crimes and prison escapes. In 1992, he evaded capture for six months after escaping from police custody at St Luke's Hospital.

He was later arrested while attempting to rob a jewellery store in Marsa. Less than four months later, he escaped from Corradino Correctional Facility alongside fellow inmate David Monsineur.

In 1994, he married fellow inmate Helen Azzopardi inside Corradino prison.

Despite repeated incarcerations, Bugeja remained involved in criminal activity well into the 21st century. In 2012, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for a string of offences dating back to 1992, including a hold-up, car theft, and an attempted bank robbery.

In 2015, he received a 33-month sentence for a 2008 warehouse theft, followed by a seven-year prison term for orchestrating a drug deal from his cell.

In 2014, he had gone on hunger strike for seven days while serving time, calling The Malta Independent to explain why.

Back in 2008, he was also investigated and charged in connection with a drug find in Catania that was destined for Malta. He was charged with other inmates at the CCF who were suspected of being the masterminds behind the deal.