Package found to contain puzzles, books...and machine guns!

A man who had asked his brother-in-law to send him two disassembled machine guns from America to add to his collection was fined €388 (Lm166.52) by a court this morning.

Charles Camilleri, 41, from Nadur was found guilty of importing the machine guns without a licence and failing to pay duty on the items in October 1998.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera heard how Mr Camilleri’s wife Tanya had gone to pick up a package at their local post office.

The machine guns were found when she was asked to open the package for inspection.

Testifying in court Mr Camilleri said that he had been living in New York when he had ordered the machine guns but due to a strike by the UBS shipping company they had not arrived on time. He then asked his brother-in-law to send them over as he was returning to Gozo. Mr Camilleri told the court that he had not realised that there was any type of tax to be paid or a licence to apply for.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera took into consideration that the package was registered as containing puzzles, books and clothes but not firearm parts.