Container inspection yields 1.5m illegal cigarettes

Thirty-eight boxes containing one-and-a-half million cigarettes labelled as being Benson and Hedges were yesterday seized by Customs and police officers in a joint operation after a failed attempt to import them illegally.

The Customs department said that following weeks of surveillance it had intercepted a seven-metre long container loaded with general merchandise and cigarettes destined for the Maltese market.

A spokesman for the Customs department said over Lm70,000 in excise duties, VAT and levies would have had to be paid on the cigarettes for them to be imported legally.

The Customs department started investigating after the container arrived in Malta last month. After some time, it was decided that the container should be taken from the Freeport to Marsa under Customs and police supervision to be inspected.

A preliminary inspection showed that the container was packed with general merchandise such as playstations, radio cassettes, CD players, clocks, light fittings, ceramic floor tiles, DVD players and satellite receivers. But when boxes were opened, 38 were found containing the cigarettes.

Sources close to Customs said it was not yet known for whom the container was destined and investigations were underway. Investigations are also underway to determine whether the cigarettes are counterfeit.

This was the third cigarette find by the Customs department this year. About 14 million counterfeit cigarettes were intercepted in two previous hauls.