870,000 Contraband Cigarettes Confiscated As Police Catch Smugglers Red-Handed In Xemxija
Police have seized around 4,350 large boxes of cigarettes after intercepting a boat carrying the illicit shipment in the tal-Fekruna area of Xemxija earlier this morning.
Three men have been arrested in connection to the contraband, with an estimated 870,000 cigarettes held in the boxes found aboard the boat, boxes that were barely hidden and easily spotted by the investigating officers.
The men, who are from ?amrun and Marsa and range between the ages of 24 and 29, were caught be the Drug Squad and the Armed Forces of Malta’s Special Operations Unit after being closely followed for days.
The police are investigating the case with the Economic Crimes unit as well as the Customs Enforcement Section. The men are expected to be arraigned shortly.