Police seize 870,000 contraband cigarettes, three arrested

Three men have been arrested after police discovered a large amount of contraband cigarettes on a speedboat they were on.

The men, aged between 24 to 29 and living in Marsa and Hamrun, where stopped by Drug Squad police and the Armed Forces of Malta Special Operations Unit, as they were travelling on board the boat in the tal-Fekruna area in Xemxija.

Around 4,350 cartons containing 870,000 cigarettes - on which excise duty and VAT hadn’t been paid - in total were seized from the boat.

The police’s Economic Crimes Unit is carrying out an investigation on the case, with the Customs enforcement section assisting it. The men are expected to be arraigned in court, possibly later today.