A man from Moldavia is being held behind bars after he allegedly attempted to import two suitcases full of contraband cigarettes on Saturday.

The man was arrested at the airport when he tried to walk through the 'Nothing to Declare' channel after arriving on a flight from Moscow.

The Customs Department said its inspectors seized 32,000 cigarettes from the man's two suitcases. 

The man told the inspectors that the cigarettes were not meant for Malta but for Spain. He was booked for a flight to Spain later in the day. 

The man was arraigned on Sunday afternoon and accused of evading duties of some €17,000.