Crackdown on Marsa stables that housed 100 migrant workers in squalid conditions

A police search operation has led to the discovery of around 100 migrants living in squalid conditions in stables in Marsa.

The migrants were found on Wednesday morning, with the police having been assisted by the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Administrative Law Enforcement Section.

Planning Authority Chairman Johann Buttigieg confirmed on Facebook that the operation was being carried out on his orders, describing the living conditions of the migrants as "inhumane".

Pictures he released on social media revealed ramshackle furniture crammed in small rooms, a rusty stove in a badly-lit nook, and debilitated house fittings.

Police confirmed that the immigrants were living in these inadequate quarters illegally. In some case, officers had to cut through padlocks and iron bars to enter the Marsa properties in question.

The immigrants were all transported to the headquarters for interrogation. They were allegedly paying €100 a month each to live inside the stables.