Second Gozo Hold-Up Suspect Nabbed at Mġarr Ferry: Safe-Island Reputation Hangs in the Balance

Second Arrest in Gozo Hold-Up: How One Bungled Ferry Escape Brought Relief to an Island on Edge
By Hot Malta Correspondent

Xewkija, Gozo – Just after the 7 a.m. Mġarr ferry queue began snaking toward the ticket booths on Wednesday, police pounced on a 34-year-old Rabat man who allegedly tried to board the Gozo Channel vessel with €8,000 in stolen cash stuffed into a canvas gym bag. The arrest – the second within 48 hours after Monday’s armed hold-up of the Żebbuġ convenience store – has sent a collective sigh of relief across Gozo, where “nothing ever happens” is less a cliché than a daily blessing.

Locals had spent the past two days trading theories over kafè and ftira, from Facebook Marketplace scams gone wrong to wild rumours of a Sicilian gang. In reality, investigators say, the heist was home-grown. The first suspect, a 29-year-old from Xagħra already known to police for petty theft, allegedly threatened the shopkeeper with a kitchen knife while his accomplice waited on a Yamaha TMAX outside. They fled toward the coast road, but a silent alarm and a sharp-eyed neighbour who jotted the scooter’s plate gave Rapid Intervention Unit officers the head-start they needed.

The cultural sting, however, runs deeper than any monetary loss. Gozitans pride themselves on leaving shop doors unlocked and trusting customers to leave exact change on the counter. “When I heard, I locked up for the first time in 15 years,” said Marlene Bezzina, whose family has run the adjoining kiosk since 1978. “My nonna used to say, ‘In Gozo, even the thieves apologise.’ Looks like those days are gone.”

Tourism stakeholders fear the incident could dent the island’s ultra-safe reputation just as shoulder-season bookings begin. “British and German travel blogs rave about Gozo being ‘Malta’s laid-back little sister,’” noted Josephine Borg, manager of a boutique farmhouse cluster near Għarb. “A single headline about an armed robbery can undo years of marketing.” Ferry staff, meanwhile, have quietly tightened boarding checks, eyeing larger bags and questioning loiterers – subtle shifts that feel seismic in a place where commuters and drivers often share pastizzi while waiting to dock.

At a Wednesday afternoon arraignment in the Gozo Courts, Magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri charged the second man with aggravated theft, carrying a weapon in public, and recidivism. Prosecutors revealed that the pair had split up after the robbery; the first suspect was caught hiding in a citrus grove near Marsalforn, while the second attempted the brazen ferry dash in plain daylight. If convicted, each faces up to twelve years imprisonment and a fine that could exceed €30,000.

Community reaction has been swift and unmistakably Gozitan. By Wednesday evening, residents of Żebbuġ had taped a giant “Grażzie Ħbieb tal-Pulizija” banner across the village band club façade. The local youth section of the Labour Party launched a crowdfunding drive to install brighter LED streetlights outside small shops, raising €1,200 within hours. Even the rival Nationalist Party club donated €500, underscoring that when Gozo feels threatened, partisan colours fade into the beige limestone.

Inspector Saviour Baldacchino, speaking outside the courthouse, praised “old-fashioned neighbourliness” for cracking the case. “One phone tip, one partial plate, and a ferry marshal who noticed nerves at the gate – that’s how we kept Gozo safe,” he said, flanked by applauding onlookers. Asked whether crime is rising on the sister island, he demurred: “Two idiots don’t make a trend. But we’re watching.”

Back in the Żebbuġ shop, the shaken owner – who asked not to be named – reopened on Thursday morning with a new espresso machine, courtesy of a spontaneous whip-round by morning regulars. “The coffee tastes better when you know the whole village has your back,” he laughed, refilling a tray of imqaret. Outside, a pair of tourists snapped photos of the quaint storefront, blissfully unaware of the drama that had unfolded days earlier. For Gozo, that oblivious contentment is the real treasure – and one its 31,000 residents will fight to protect, one ferry queue at a time.