A Maltese man arrested in Libya in April will be charged this week over his alleged involvement in organised crime, drugs and human trafficking. 

Malta’s authorities have been informed by their Libyan counterparts that Jesmond Vella, 45, known as Il-Bulgaru, will be arraigned in Tripoli by the end of the week. 

Vella was arrested in the western coastal city of Zuwarah on suspicion of human smuggling and drug trafficking on April 5.

The operation was carried out by the Rada Special Deterrence Forces following a tip-off on his whereabouts by a Libyan arrested a few days earlier. 

Vella is understood to be well known to Maltese law enforcement and is suspected to be involved in the trafficking of shipments of cannabis resin using the same criminal networks employed by gangs which facilitate migration flows across the Mediterranean Sea.

Sources said Maltese law enforcement agencies were cooperating with their Libyan counterparts, sharing intelligence on narcotics activity in the region for several months.

Information identifying Vella as a person of interest had been passed to Libya several months ago, they said.

Wife raises concerns over the authorities showing an apparent lack of willingness to intervene

It is understood that, upon reviewing a file on Vella, the office of the Libyan attorney general came to the conclusion that there was a strong enough case against Vella for him to face criminal charges in the North African country. 

He is being held in a Mitiga prison. Five years ago, Vella was named as a police informer in a trial against two men accused of operating a large cannabis trafficking operation in Xemxija. Although the prosecution did not confirm his identity, the defence lawyers for the two men accused of importing several kilos of cannabis resin repeatedly referred to him as the person who had spoken up.

Godfrey Gambin and Libyan national Adel Mohammed Babani were eventually acquitted by a jury in 2020.

Meanwhile, Vella’s wife raised concerns over the Maltese authorities showing an apparent lack of willingness to intervene in her husband’s case. 

She has described her husband’s arrest as a kidnapping and warned that he may never return home.

Times of Malta is informed that government authorities are not considering intervening to have Vella extradited to Malta.