Two men remanded in custody after home robbery charges

Two Albanian men have been remanded in custody after they were arraigned over a string of home robberies across the country.

Sinan Gega, 46, and Kociu Silver, 33, are believed to be members of an international organised crime group. They are facing charges for a series of alleged break-ins that began on February 22 in Mosta and ended on February 28 in Mellieħa.

The crime spree included burglaries in Swieqi, Marsascala, San Ġwann, Rabat, Naxxar, and two separate incidents in Mellieħa. In total, police received reports of 11 burglaries, of which seven were reportedly successful.

On Saturday, court heard CCTV footage showed the same two individuals involved in each break-in, and two rental vehicles were consistently linked to the scenes. Both cars were rented from a Qawra-based company under Silver’s name.

Belgian authorities also reported detaining Silver at Charleroi Airport after finding a large amount of jewellery hidden in a shampoo bottle. Although he couldn’t explain its origin, he was released at the time due to lack of evidence.

When photos of the jewellery were shown to burglary victims in Malta, they identified the items as their own.

Authorities later learned that the two suspects had booked a return flight to Malta. An arrest warrant was issued, and both men were apprehended upon arrival at Malta International Airport.

The case is being prosecuted by Inspectors Jeffrey Scicluna and Christine, along with Attorney General lawyer Clive Aquilina. Karl Micallef and Francesca Zarb are representing the defendants.

The proceedings took place before Magistrate Jean Paul Grech.