"Drug pushers in Malta are divided in two sections.   Some of them come from a high class, others come from the street," one drug addict told me. 

"Most of the drug business in Malta is organized not only by Maltese barons but also by well-off people from European countries."  

One may ask:  How do drugs enter Malta? Is it not possible to control drugs on such a small island like ours? 

"A lot of money is gained in Malta because drugs are more expensive than any other market in Europe and drugs are not as pure like in other places because here in Malta they are cut with other substances like glucose, red poison, flour, and many other substances similar to cocaine and heroin."

"The pushers could be the least you would suspect, and who come from all ranks of society. Most of the people know them by name, address and telephone number," another one told me.  

During a conversation with a young drug addict who is struggling to get out of drugs, he said: "How is it then, that on such a small island like Malta, only the authorities seem not to know them?"   The problem is that everyone likes easy money, because we know that drugs mean money, and Malta is invaded by pushers, especially foreign ones.   While the small pusher sells for himself, the (bigger) pushers delegate among themselves." 

Another one interrupted me and then continued. "Drugs are invading our streets and weak people become an easy prey to drugs. In fact the problem is not the substance itself but man himself.  Some small pushers sell to feed their own needs, others to gain money and to finance their bad habit."

"The authorities hardly ever get the right people," another young man told me. "They make a big fuss with small users."

"Most of the big pushers never touch any drugs. It is even said that in prison drugs are more easily found than outside. What I am saying comes from first hand experience. I have been in prison for drugs for four years and to my surprise, I was better off in there than outside. Obviously, it costs more in there than outside," he continued. 

"Father, you will be surprised if I had to tell you the names of pushers in Malta.   They are people who have a lot of power and they are very well protected and respected.  When once I went to tell names to the authorities they shut my mouth telling me they are being investigated. Some of them are well educated people but others are very immoral".   I asked them whether they had ever been threatened to hide their person.   "Of course they do, because they themselves are threatened by more powerful persons."

Drugs ruin you psychologically and mentally and once you are hooked it is very difficult to get out of it.   "Drugs in Malta are not out of control," another one told me, "but they are out of control where the authority wants it to be".   The life of a drug addict is very miserable but most of the time they do not find anyone to help them, to fight against themselves and get out of it. 

"Most of the people become drug addicts because life is very boring in Malta and young people are never satisfied with themselves".  Drugs usually have a lot of connections and implications and once you are in it, it becomes very difficult to get out of it.   Why do people get involved with drugs?  

"Some are very shy, others want to live the day, others because of the peer group, others have big problems and think of solving them through drugs, others because they have to live with fashion but I think it is all false as drugs lead you only to death."  

"It is a fact that man nowadays is more attracted to evil than to good things.   Another fact is that the authorities go always after the same people who happen to be insignificant people, a side step to drugs," another one said.   "There are a lot of connections with the problem of drugs in Malta like alcohol, prostitution, homosexuality, robberies, unemployment and any other type of pleasure. It is a fact that life has become too materialistic and human beings have lost most of their human dignity, they have no true values anymore."

"Drugs enter Malta in many ways but the best people to interrogate for more details are the authorities themselves. Go and ask them, they know everything about it," said another drug addict. "I do not know whether they could be impressed by the truth.   But one can say this could be very truthful."

Don Bosco dedicated his life to young people, especially those in difficulty.   He was an expert to go in search of them, to study their situation by also visiting the prison in Turin, by going around the squalid areas of the city, listening to them and learning from them their particular individual needs because each one had his own story and most of them had big social problems.   Consequently Don Bosco created an atmosphere where vices could be avoided by the use of the theatre, music, and sport in general.

Fr Charles Cini is a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.