Malta has helped Libyan authorities identify a Maltese national suspected of committing criminal activities in Libya several months ago, the Times of Malta reported.
According to the newspaper, Jesmond Vella, 45, known as Il-Bulgaru, was arrested in the western coastal city of Zuwara on suspicion of human smuggling and drug trafficking on April 5, confirming that the operation was carried out by the Special Deterrence Forces following a tip-off on his whereabouts.
Sources told the "Times of Malta" that "Vella" is well known to Maltese law enforcement agencies and was suspected of playing a role in the trafficking of shipments of cannabis resin using the same criminal networks employed by gangs that facilitate migration flows across the Mediterranean Sea.
The source confirmed that the Maltese law enforcement agencies were cooperating with their Libyan counterparts, sharing intelligence on narcotics activity in the region for several months.
