Man admits trying to board plane with knives, firearm and ammunition

A Spanish fruit and veg salesman is facing a possible jail sentence after he admitted to trying to carry weapons and ammunition onto a flight departing Malta.

Ruben Cuervo Fernandez from Gijon pleaded guilty to related charges after he was found to be carrying two flick knives, pepper spray, a hunting knife, a firearm and ammunition in his luggage before boarding a flight at the Malta International Airport.

The crime is punishable by anything from a fine up to a prison sentence.

Inspector Roxanne Tabone, prosecuting, said Fernandez had admitted to making a mistake but had never guessed that these items were illegal in Malta. They had been given to him as a gift, he said, and had passed through several international airports, including Berlin, without incident.

His lawyer, Simon Micallef Stafrace, said the man bought the knives for his work. Having heard the admission, the court, presided by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, put the case off for sentencing next week.