More than 500 live songbirds have been confiscated by the Customs Department.

The birds - haw finches, sis kins, green finches, serins and chaffinches, were found last night in a van which arrived on the catamaran from Sicily.

They were found among hidden among boxes of oranges in 18 wooden and nine plastic containers.

The Customs Department informed Mepa’s Avi Fauna Section of the find. The birds were passed on to the quarantine section and the vehicle was seized for further investigations.

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