'Get us out of here', Maltese youths arrested in Tunisia plead with parents

Thomas Camilleri of Gzira and Glenn Paul Xuereb of San Gwann, both 22, were arrested on 14 July in the city of Sousse and have been charged with conspiracy to export 70 kilos of cannabis to Malta.

Although Camilleri and Xuereb have denied the charges when arraigned in a Tunisian court, police sources have told MaltaToday
that an admission was made by one of the boys during interrogation.

Both are facing the daunting prospect of spending up to 30 years in a Tunisian jail if found guilty of the charges.

MaltaToday is informed that parents and close family members of the arrested Maltese have travelled to Tunisia last week and briefly visited them in prison. Camilleri and Xuereb are being held in a prison in Sousse, three hours by car from the capital Tunis.

One family member described the prison conditions as “tough and appalling” adding that visiting is only allowed once a month, and inmates are allowed to wash once a week with very limited water. Both families are being assisted by the Maltese diplomatic
representation in Tunis, but the Maltese government is cautious in its approach to the issue and refutes to interfere in the Tunisian
judicial process.

Meanwhile, police in Malta have initiated investigations into the Tunisian case, with a number of suspects being arrested and interrogated. According to a police spokesman, a number of persons were involved in the operation, which was intended to see the drug exported to Malta by sea.

Intelligence gathered by investigators suggests that the cannabis had to be packed in plastic bags that had to be dropped off miles off the Maltese coast and picked up by a power boat that would have a GPS reading of the bags.

Meanwhile, another Maltese national – 32 year-old Tano Farrugia – is also awaiting sentencing in Sousse, Tunisia after being arrested last January in possession of 30 kilos of cannabis. Farrugia, a former Msida St Joseph football player, has reportedly made a name for himself as he became a popular inmate due to his football talent. He has also been playing for his prison in the Tunisian league for inmates, and has gained popularity due to his regular scoring.