US national arrested at MIA with cocaine capsules hidden in stomach

The man was arrested soon after his arrival to Malta with a flight from Amsterdam on Friday afternoon.

Police sources said that the man who lives in New York was expected in Malta as investigations continued into a drug smuggling ring involving a number of American nationals.

A search among the belongings of the American yielded no drugs, but an x-ray conducted later at Mater Dei Hospital revealed a number of digested capsules inside his stomach that contained a quantity of cocaine.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona is conducting an inquiry, while the man is expected to be charged with international conspiracy to import cocaine and trafficking.