Imported drug supplies impacted due to COVID-19 lockdowns

Feb 1 2022

According to the Malta Security Service (MSS), travel restrictions and supply chain shocks forced Maltese organised crime groups to adapt. The agency gave an overview of the local drugs market in its annual report for 2020 which were tabled in parliament last week. The service explained that the mitigation efforts introduced at the start of COVID-19 forced organised crime groups to rethink their trafficking methods.

“The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed lifestyles. The virus, as well as a variety of measures taken by authorities around the world to control the pandemic, affected all aspects of our lives. Like what happened in other countries, Maltese authorities introduced a number of restrictions on travel that affected the modus operandi of OCGs when trafficking contraband and other illegal items.’

Several trade routes used by suppliers to smuggle drugs into Malta were identified by a separate government study. Heroin of Afghan origin is imported through Turkey, North Africa or Western European countries whereas cocaine is smuggled mostly through Spain. MDMA, ecstasy and amphetamine, among other synthetic drugs, are imported from other European countries particularly Italy and the Netherlands. The MSS said that a number of routes and methods exist for drug importation and to bring in contraband.

‘Since the drug market was sometimes use legal markets to hide products, with the pandemic measures, some routes became problematic for these OCGs to import products into Malta. This is why they had to adapt to the new reality by using other methods’ it was revealed.

Restrictions imposed by local authorities on where importers order their product also cause supply problems. Despite drugs being available, stricter measures meant drug suppliers could not export their products as they normally did.

Local narcotics expert Dr Godwin Sammut reported there was a major decrease in drug seizures at the start of the pandemic, even though there was no change in the purity of drugs tested in his lab over the span of the pandemic. Since there were no parties and airports closed, imported supplies and seizures almost stopped completely. According to the International Journal of Drug Policy, a study using 250 self-reporting submissions on illicit drug transactions found that the pandemic disrupted the illicit drug market. This tracked the date of the purchase and whether the drug successfully shipped to its intended location.

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Around 18,000 COVID vaccine jabs given to kids aged 5 to 11

Feb 1 2022

5,069 children aged 5 to 11 have received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to statistics tabled in parliament.

This was revealed by Health Minister Chris Fearne who said that as of 26th January, 17,953 doses of the jab had been administered to children aged between 5 to 11.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorised the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids back in November, with the rollout to this age group beginning on the 14th of December 2021 in Malta.

The health minister also revealed that as of the 26th of January, 164,548 doses of the vaccine had been administered to people aged between 16 and 29. Of these, 81,029 were second doses.

Moreover, 46,082 persons in this cohort had received the booster dose. As of today, 1,210,946 doses were administered, of which 329,806 being booster shots. Fearne was replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Ivan Bartolo.

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Man Utd striker Mason Greenwood removed from FIFA 22, Nike breaks ties

Feb 1 2022

Following allegations of domestic abuse on his girlfriend, Manchester United Mason Greenwood took a double hit as he was removed from FIFA 22 and had Nike ties broken. Following the latest database update which was released on all platforms including PlayStation, XBOX and PC, Greenwood no longer features on the popular football simulation.

The forward’s FIFA 22 Ultimate Team item remains active still, and can still be traded on the FUT 22 transfer market. At the time of removal, Greenwood’s virtual player had an overall rating of 79 out of 99. In related news, Nike also suspended its relationship with the 20-year-old, releasing a statement that they are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and plan on monitoring the situation closely.

On Sunday, the Premier League club said Greenwood will not return to training or play matches until further notice. This comes after a series of photos and audio recordings allegedly posted online by Harriet Robson, Greenwood’s girlfriend. The revelations showed Robson bruised and bleeding, wounds sustained through the footballer. He himself has not yet responded to the allegations. He was arrested Sunday 30th and remains in custody.

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Volt proposes Hazard Pay for healthcare workers due to pandemic

Feb 1 2022

Political party Volt has proposed introducing ‘Hazard Pay’ for all healthcare workers as the country progresses through the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Volt believes that healthcare workers who have helped sustain the healthcare system through all the waves experienced thus far have not been shown enough appreciation’ the party stated.

Co-President of Volt Alexia DeBono said that it is well-known that there is a shortage of healthcare workers on the island. In spite of that, she said, they did a remarkable job since before there was the vaccine and throughout each variant which reaches our shores. Volt is now proposing a hazard pay rise for healthcare workers in 3 ways. For those who have been working for 1-12 months during the pandemic, a supplement of 5% on their salary is given.

For those who have been working more than 12 months, that supplement goes up to 10% until the end of the pandemic, the party said. Kassandra Mallia, Candidate and Vice-President of Volt Malta said that ‘we must also acknowledge not just their current work, but also past work.’

‘Therefore, we are also proposing that healthcare workers who have already been working during the pandemic, will receive a grant based on the same calculation starting from March 2020. So if they have worked for 2 years during the pandemic, the healthcare workers would receive a grant equivalent to 5% of their income of the first 12 months, and then 10% of their income of the following month.’

Arnas Lasys, Co-President of Volt Malta, added that this would also be given to students who in the final year of their medical degree were called up to with the pandemic.

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Photo Source: Volt Communications