Customs Officials concluded investigating a container that arrived in Malta from the Far East on Thursday, seizing over seven million cigarettes which were being smuggled into the country.
The container arrived in Malta some days ago along with numerous others, with Customs Officials keeping it under strict surveillance.
When possible discrepancies between the declaration of the containers supposed contents and its actual contents was revealed, Customs Officials stepped up the probe, eventually leading to the discovery of 7.16 million cigarettes.
The container’s declaration stated that it contained ornaments and other decorative objects made out of glass, however an X-Ray scan pointed out this discrepancy, leading officials to open the container.
The 40-foot-long container, headed to Algiers, was emptied. Although a number of boxes did effectively contain glass ornaments, several others were packed with French Gauloises cigarettes. The approximate total of excise duty and Value Added Tax payable on these cigarettes totals to Lm500,000.
Since last January 33 containers containing counterfeit or smuggled objects have been intercepted. Four of these were, loaded with smuggled cigarettes.
See also:
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