Clean up Malta’s drug capital

A court report earlier this week shed new light on the way drug dealers operate in Paceville.

That the entertainment centre is a hub for drug trafficking and drug abuse is a given, but the new report details a system devised by a gang of foreign drug dealers that ensured that they would never be caught with a large quantity of drugs in their possession.

In this way, if a dealer was caught, they could claim that the small amount on their person was for personal use, not for trafficking, meaning that lesser charges would be brought against them.

They did this by hiding stashes of drugs all over the place and sending a runner to fetch the ‘goods’ when a customer showed up. From what we understand, there is a lot of running going on around Paceville.

This is, of course, not the only way drugs are sold on the streets of Paceville. Dealing also takes place in the clubs and further out in the residential areas, away from prying eyes.

To be fair, the police have recently stepped up their war on drugs and have had many

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successes, seizing large quantities of drugs destined for the local market. But the scale and frequency of the busts also show what a booming business the world of drugs is. For every kilo of drugs that is intercepted, who knows how many others make it to Paceville and other areas, and into the hands of our youths and adults.

Despite the efforts, police presence in Paceville has always been lacking. There have been calls, over the years, for a mini police station to be set up in the entertainment mecca. The argument is that the St Julian’s police station, situated down in Spinola, is too far away. Apart from the distance, there is also the fact that this station has to deal not only with St Julian’s and Paceville but also with the surrounding areas. To make matters worse, this station is often understaffed, and sometimes there are not enough squad cars.

Paceville is practically a distinct locality and needs to be tackled on its own when it comes to security. St Julian’s is always crowned the capital of crime when the relevant statistics come out, and most of these crimes take place in Paceville. The place is synonymous with drug use – practically all young people visiting the area will have been approached by a dealer at some point, and used syringes are collected from the beaches every morning.

It is also synonymous with violent fights – take the infamous incident where a man chased after people with a Samurai sword – and sexual assaults.

In our view, Paceville does not need a mini station but a fully fledged police station of its own. There need to be more patrols, and the officers operating there need to make sure that no one is above the law, not even the club owners.

So for the police force to step up its fight against drug mules and drug smugglers nationwide is all well and good, but police presence and enforcement needs to be stepped up immensely in Paceville, on the street, and where it really matters.