Two men arrested after undeclared cash found

Two Egyptian nationals were arrested after €21,570 of undeclared cash was found in several envelopes concealed in their luggage

Both passengers are expected to be arraigned in court today
Both passengers are expected to be arraigned in court today

Two Egyptian nationals were arrested on Monday after members of the recently unveiled customs anti-money laundering team found the passengers carrying €21,570 of undeclared cash in several envelopes concealed in their luggage.

The passengers were leaving Malta en route to Egypt via Istanbul and claimed that the money was the salaries of their colleagues. They were stopped from departing the island and arrested by the police economic crimes unit pending further investigation.

Under European law, a passenger carrying more than €10,000 in cash is obliged to declare them to customs before travelling. Failure to do so will result in arrest, a hefty fine, and the seizure of the undeclared cash.

Both passengers are expected to be arraigned in court today.