The inquiry into the drug heist at the AFM’s Safi barracks was concluded earlier today. Predictably, it exonerated the Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri from any responsibility (even though he offered to resign). The AFM’s Commander, Brigadier Clinton O’Neill has been reinstated to his post following the conclusion of the inquiry.
Even more astonishing was Judge Geoffrey Valenzia’s detailed, step-by-step account of the events in the AFM control room, where the 35 security monitors were meant to be under constant surveillance. The soldier on duty spent 2 hours watching a film on his tablet with his headphones on. He then proceeded to chat with his girlfriend for about 15 minutes and also prepared dinner in the kitchenette. This happened from around 11.30pm to 2.30am while the heist was being carried out.
The incinerator issue:
Another interesting and worrying factor is that the drugs were supposed to have been burned a long time before the hesit. This did not occur due to a spectacular misunderstanding between the Court Services Agency and Wastserv.
The CEO of WasteServ, Richard Bilocca, testified that while the incinerator is an industrial-grade furnace, it is not designed to burn drugs. Instead, it is used to incinerate abattoir waste, including animal remains, clinical waste, and other similar materials.
He further explained that the incinerator requires to shutdown for servicing and cooling down every four weeks.
Regarding this particular case, the CEO of the Court testified that when the incinerator malfunctioned and stopped working after the third batch of drug incineration, she was informed by Mr. Bilocca that it would take approximately seven months before it could operate again.
However, Richard Bilocca denied this allegation, stating that when the incinerator broke down, it did not take that long to resume operations. He presented log records as evidence and explained that this could be verified through the live monitoring system and the reports submitted to ERA (Environment and Resources Authority), which confirmed that the incinerator was back in operation within approximately four weeks.
Bilocca also stated that between July and December 2024, there was no communication from the relevant authorities regarding this matter.
Further developments
Inspector Mark Mercieca testified that they were aware that after the incinerator malfunctioned, it was eventually repaired and put back into operation. As law enforcement officers, they requested permission to resume drug incineration.
Inspector Mercieca explained that he made several phone calls, including to Inspector Alfredo Mangion and WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca. The latter informed him that he was willing to assist, but not through the incinerator. Instead, Bilocca suggested encapsulation as an alternative disposal method. However, this was deemed unsafe and impractical in the case of cannabis.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Court explored other possibilities, such as mixing cocaine with concrete to make it impossible to extract. They also considered alternative methods to incineration, including transporting the drugs out of Malta by sea or land. However, these methods posed significant delays and risks. Authorities even looked into the feasibility of air transport as a solution.
After the heist: further confusion
Following the theft from the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) on March 11, 2025, the Court wrote to WasteServ, stating:
“As you might be aware, there is a considerable amount of drugs that need to be destroyed. We are aware that the incinerator is functioning again and need to carry out the necessary destructions as soon as possible. May you very kindly give me an appointment to carry out these destructions?”
In response, Richard Bilocca clarified:
“The incinerator was back online on July 19, 2024, just 15 days after the fault. I trust this clarifies any misconceptions in relation to your statement, ‘we are aware that the incinerator is functioning again’.”
It appears there may have been a misunderstanding. Between July and December 2024, the Court had been under the impression that the incinerator would take several months to be repaired. However, the letter from the Court in March 2025 suggests that they had only recently realised that the incinerator was already operational, despite evidence showing it had been working since July 2024.
What happened during the heist
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Veteran Journalist
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