Eight people were arrested after the police seized morem than 28 kilogrammes of suspected narcotics over the weekend.

The first breakthrough occurred as investigators pursued leads tied to an earlier case where a 49-year-old man was previously arrested in possession of suspected heroin.

Further inquiries revealed that the suspect rented a garage in Żurrieq.

Police escorted the man to the property, where they discovered specialized wooden panels concealing a hidden compartment.

A van parked inside the garage featured identical modifications. Inside these secret spaces, officers recovered approximately 7.7 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine and 20.7 kilograms of suspected heroin, alongside packaging materials, electronic scales, and other drug distribution paraphernalia.

In a separate, simultaneous operation in Gozo, the police placed two locations in Qala and Victoria under close surveillance after intelligence linked them to storage and trafficking by the same criminal network.

Officers raided a residence in Qala yesterday evening, arresting three people initially, followed closely by two additional suspects who arrived shortly after.

One individual attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended immediately after discarding a bag containing eight packets of suspected cocaine.

Simultaneously, a raid at the Victoria property led to the arrest of another two suspects.

Subsequent searches uncovered about half a kilogramme of suspected cocaine in Qala and a smaller quantity of suspected narcotics in Victoria, bringing the total number of arrests in Gozo to seven-six men and one woman.

Magistrates Dr Joe Mifsud and Dr Jean Paul Grech have opened separate magisterial inquiries into the cases, while police investigations remain ongoing.