Watch: Malta in the middle of Italy-Libya car smuggling operation

Police in Ragusa, Sicily, have made a number of arrests after reportedly smashing a criminal ring which involved the theft of vehicles in Italy and their transfer to Libya through Malta.

Some 40 people were arrested during the operation, named Coast to Coast. The operation involved some 150 officers who searched 50 locations in several Italian cities.

Twenty-one trucks, a cement mixer, a compactor and eight cars, all stolen, were seized shortly before they were due to be shipped to Malta. Fake documentation was also found. 

Italian police said a number of Maltese accomplices were involved in the criminal operation. Phone conversations between Italians and Maltese had been intercepted. 

A number of vehicles stolen in Italy have also reportedly been found in Malta.