The Shift News has reported that criminals network is "operating a multi-million-euro underground gambling racket," and says that it is being allowed complete impunity by the authorities.

It reports that a Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) investigation initiated in 2020 gave intelligence to the police in 2024 about individuals involved in the ring.

The Shift News says that the intelligence reports provide evidence of money laundering activities, and that the intelligence was shared with financial institutions both in Malta as well as abroad. It says that the reports identify individuals operating an illegal gambling network.

It reports that the FIAU identified that the network is coordinated by a self-employed 'businessman' from Żejtun, who operates from a bar closeby to the town's police station, and from his villa. This person, the Shift News reports, is believed to have taken over the operations that had been "previously managed by Melvin Theuma."

The article reads that the FIAU compiled dossiers on several other individuals involved in the illegal betting trade, and that the police have had the information for over a year.

The shift news article.