40kgs of cocaine were intercepted by Customs Malta in a reefer container en-route from Puerto Rico to Cairo, the department said in a statement Saturday.

The cocaine was found in 40 packets each containing approximately 1kg of the narcotic, concealed in a compartment known as the reefer-area.

The reefer was transporting a shipment of medical products.

Customs Malta has been registering successes in the fight against cocaine trafficking, year on year, with 2019 recording a total of 750kg (in 13 separate seizures), 2020: 612kg (in 1 seizure), 2021:740kg (in 1 seizure) and 2022: 800kg and 1494kg in two separate seizures.