Counterfeit credit cards land three in jail

Three East Europeans were yesterday jailed for 18 months each after being found guilty of using counterfeit credit cards.

Police Inspector Ian Abdilla, prosecuting, said this sort of crime was becoming popular, appearing on the police’s radar every six months.

The three men pleaded guilty to defrauding HSBC and Bank of Valletta and even Air Malta by using 10 false credit cards to purchase air tickets.

Edgars Kullis, 34, Edgars Zobnevs, 21, and Vadimas Gruzdzevicius, 44, withdrew a total of €6,500 from HSBC and Bank of Valletta cash machines between their arrival last Thursday and when they were arrested on Tuesday.

In submissions on punishment, the prosecution said this was a serious crime and deserved an effective jail term, especially because these cases were increasing in number.

Legal aid lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores said that, although he was not trying to downplay the seriousness of it all, his clients had cooperated and admitted to the charges almost immediately.

Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona asked the inspector whether the accused had in fact divulged any information and the officer said that they supplied certain addresses and names, which would be given to Interpol.

The magistrate told the men that after considering all the circumstances of the case he would jail them for 18 months, adding that the term could have easily been four years.