Dismembered man found in suitcase identified as Raoul Eduardo Rei

A court has heard that Andres Leonardo Gamboa Duran confessed to dismembering a body, placing it in a suitcase, and dumping it at sea after discovering the deceased, who he identified as Colombian national Raoul Eduardo Rei, in his Msida apartment.

Duran told police that Raoul was a drug mule whom he found dead in his home. Panicking, he destroyed Raoul’s documents, purchased an axe and a suitcase, and dismembered the body. 

Duran allegedly admitted to disposing of the body in the sea but expressed surprise when the suitcase did not sink.

The suitcase was found by two French children on a paddleboat and towed into shore, before it was lifted up onto the Gzira seafront with the help of two adults who were passing by.  The adults opened the suitcase and found Rei’s chopped up remains and immediately called the police.

The body was identified as 50-year-old Rei, through fingerprint records obtained via Interpol. An autopsy revealed over 100 cocaine capsules in his stomach, and the likely cause of death was asphyxia.

Duran was tracked down following an investigation aided by CCTV footage and forensic evidence. A price sticker on the suitcase wheels led investigators to a San Ġwann store where Duran was seen purchasing the suitcase and an axe. Further evidence was said to have linked him to the crime, including receipts for cleaning supplies, and an axe found wrapped in plastic.

Police arrested Duran after a surveillance operation near his Msida apartment.

Inside the apartment, police found cocaine and items related to drug trafficking together with a Convenience Store receipt indicating the purchase of bleach, detergents, garbage bags, cleaning cloths, and a packet of adult nappies.

The packet of nappies was found open with a single nappy missing.  The dismembered body was found naked in the suitcase, save for a nappy which was the same brand as that purchased from the chain store.

The court heard that the axe matching the one Duran purchased in San Gwann was found wrapped in plastic in the bathroom cabinet of another apartment in Msida.  Blood traces and two small bones were also found near a bathroom drain in that same apartment.

Duran faces charges including disposing of evidence and drug trafficking, but not murder, as police believe the victim was already deceased when he was dismembered. 

Magistrate Astrid May Grima ruled that sufficient prima facie evidence exists for Duran to face trial. The case will resume on 30 January. 

The prosecution is led by Attorney General lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Dejan Darmanin, with Inspectors Kurt Colombo Zahra and Wayne Camilleri. Legal aid counsel Yanika Barbara Sant is representing the accused.