Two arrested over smuggling of contraband cigarettes

Less than 24 hours after police discovered 450,000 contraband cigarettes on board a cabin cruiser at the Grand Harbour, a joint search operation between customs and police officials has found another substantial amount of cigarettes.

Police sources have told MaltaToday that on Saturday evening, customs officials received a tip-off that a deal pertaining to contraband cigarettes was being discussed on board a vessel at the Palumbo Shipyard in Cospicua. The vessel had arrived from Libya.

On board, police and customs officials discovered 90,600 contraband cigarettes.

Sources told MaltaToday that at around 1am, customs officials at the Palumbo Shipyard ordered a vehicle to stop. The vehicle, a jeep, was being driven by a 58-year-old man from Fgura, while a Libyan man was also in the car.

After being ordered to get out of the vehicle, customs officials detained the Libyan man, but the 58-year-old man from Fgura disobeyed officials’ orders and drove away from the shipyard. Sources told MaltaToday that the man allegedly tried to run over customs officials while escaping from the scene.

Preliminary investigations by Inspector Frank Sammut and Police Sergeant Mark Mercieca revealed that the vehicle was registered on the 58-year-old man. District police subsequently conducted a search at the man’s residence and his car, but no contraband cigarettes were found.

Nevertheless, police arrested the man pending further investigations.

The two men are expected to be arraigned on Monday.

Police constables Kenneth Camilleri and Andrea D’Amato also took part in the search.