The Malta Customs stopped 459 contraband attempts between January and September this year, the department announced today. 

They included 254 attempts at avoiding duties on products for the local market, 189 attempts involving prohibited products for the local market and 16 attempts involving products in transit.

Customs officers seized five vehicles, a cabin cruiser, 10.28 million cigarettes, 123 kilos of tobacco,15 kilos of cocaine, 8.5 kilos of cannabis, 300 ecstacy pills, and 9.7 million counterfeit products ranging from shampoos to washing liquid and cigarettes. 

The Customs Department said tax evasion on tobacco and alcohol remained the biggest activity in the black economy and it was investing more in people and equipment to tackle it.