Suspect in €9 million Gozo cocaine bust expected €3,000 payment, court hears

A man accused of trafficking 76 kilograms of cocaine worth around €9 million told investigators he had made the trip from Malta to Gozo three times and was expecting €3,000 as payment, the court heard on Tuesday.

Nenad Kovacic, a Xagħra resident, was arrested on 14 October after an anonymous tip-off informed police of a suspicious Toyota Rav4 that was about to disembark the Gozo ferry.

Police Inspector John Leigh Howard testified that officers intercepted the vehicle and identified Kovacic using a Croatian ID document. After being read his rights, a search was carried out, uncovering 18 blocks of cocaine, weighing around 18 kilograms, concealed inside a sports bag in the boot.

Shortly after being told that a search would be conducted at his residence, Kovacic complained of chest pains and was taken to hospital, where two heart stents were later inserted. A police guard was posted at his home to prevent anyone entering or leaving the property.

At the residence, a rented house in Xagħra, a preliminary search revealed signs of disorder, with wardrobes left open and clothes scattered. Officers later uncovered 52 additional blocks of cocaine, found inside Lidl-branded shopping bags.

Inspector Howard confirmed that no search warrant had been issued. The prosecution remarked that this was the case because in the circumstances, the law does not require a warrant. Only two officers were present during the search.

Kovacic was in hospital at the time of the house search and therefore not present.

The inspector also confirmed that no effort was made to check for CCTV cameras outside the property, despite the residence appearing ransacked before the police arrived. The defence noted that officers reached the site only fifteen minutes after Kovacic’s arrest, yet failed to investigate who might have entered the house in that window.

In his police statement, Kovacic admitted responsibility for the cocaine found both in the car and in the residence, stating that he had done the trip from Malta to Gozo “around three times” and had been promised €3,000 in payment.

It also emerged in court that the Toyota Rav4 was registered to Alexander Vujkovic, brother of Nikola Vujkovic, a Serbian national known to the police, whose dramatic 2022 arrest at a Gżira lido had been widely circulated on social media.

Police Sergeant Darren Bugeja testified that he arrested Kovacic at 3:15pm and informed him of his rights in Croatian using a letter of rights form. He confirmed that the suspect was present when the vehicle search was conducted, as “it is police procedure for the accused to be present during a search”.

Bugeja added that the cocaine was found inside a large sports bag and that another officer had carried out the physical search.

Under questioning, the officer testified that the vehicle was stopped shortly after leaving the Gozo Channel terminal, explaining that the rear plate did not match the vehicle’s registration number. Upon inspection, he found a sports bag containing packets with the label “Nando”. He confirmed that Kovacic “was standing right in front” of the bag when it was opened.

The court also heard testimony from another officer, who stated that during the preliminary house search, both the accused and the landlord were absent, leaving only the police officers inside the property.

Magistrate Jean Paul Grech presided. AG lawyer Godwin Cini prosecuted, assisted by Inspectors John Leigh Howard and Alfredo Mangion. Lawyers Franco Debono and Nicholas Mifsud appeared for the accused.