Two arrested for the sale of contraband cigarettes

A man and a woman have been arrested by the police as part of an investigation into the sale of contraband cigarettes.

Police said the two individuals were a 57-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman both from Pieta. They were arrested by the Hamrun district police on Thursday evening.   

Whilst on patrol, police said they noticed a woman counting cash near a parked car in Patri Magri Street at around 5pm. Going on previous reports that a woman was conducting illicit activity in a Peugeot car, the officers on duty approached her and conducted a search which revealed a large number of cigarettes and money inside the vehicle. Later, a man who went to retrieve some money from the car was also arrested.

Police said that while the operation was taking place, they also received an anonymous tip that the two individuals in questions were stocking cigarettes in another place.

Duty magistrate Charmaine Galea issued a search warrant and the police conducted a search of both individual’s properties.