After 20 Years, Cocaine Conspirator Finally Faces Justice

In the heart of Malta’s bustling capital, Valletta, the law finally caught up with a man who thought he had escaped his past. Today, Joseph Xuereb, 52, began a 12-year prison sentence for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy that took place two decades ago.

Unraveling the Past: The 1999 Conspiracy

In 1999, Malta was a different place. The Euro was still a novel concept, and the iPod had just hit the shelves. It was into this backdrop that a cocaine trafficking operation was hatched. Xuereb, then a 32-year-old father of two, was one of the key conspirators. The plan was simple yet audacious: import cocaine from South America, cut it with other substances, and sell it on the streets of Malta.

The operation was thwarted before it could take off, thanks to a tip-off to the police. But Xuereb managed to slip through the net. He disappeared, leaving behind a wife and two young children. For the next two decades, he lived under an assumed name, starting a new life in Gozo, the sister island of Malta.

Caught in the Net: The Long Arm of the Law

Xuereb’s new life unraveled in 2019 when he was arrested in Xlendi, a picturesque fishing village in Gozo. The arrest was the result of a joint operation between the Maltese police and Interpol. Xuereb had been living under the name ‘Joe Camilleri’, working as a fisherman and raising a new family.

His arrest through the close-knit community of Xlendi. Neighbors spoke of a man who seemed to live a simple, honest life. “He was just Joe, the fisherman,” one neighbor told Hot Malta. “We had no idea about his past.”

Justice Delayed, Justice Served

Xuereb’s trial began in 2020, 21 years after the original conspiracy. The court heard how Xuereb had planned to import 50 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of around €10 million. Xuereb pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine, and the court sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

Xuereb’s lawyer, Mario Mifsud, told Hot Malta that his client had expressed remorse for his actions. “He understands that what he did was wrong,” Mifsud said. “He’s sorry for the pain he caused his family, and he’s ready to face the consequences.”

Xuereb’s sentence sends a clear message to those who think they can evade justice, according to Superintendent Ian Abdilla, who led the investigation. “No matter how long it takes, we will bring you to justice,” he said.

As Xuereb begins his sentence at the Corradino Correctional Facility, his family, both old and new, are left to pick up the pieces. His daughter, now in her late twenties, told Hot Malta that she had mixed feelings about her father’s sentence. “I’m glad he’s finally facing the music,” she said. “But it’s still hard to believe that the man I knew as my dad was involved in something so terrible.”