Five men were accused in court today or conspiring to smuggle cigarettes and participation in organised crime.

The arraignment follows a police swoop on a van in Xemxija earlier this month after a consignment of cigarettes was unloaded from the fishing launch Blue Dolphin.

The accused are the boat's skipper Michael Borg 38 of Paola, Anthony Cremona, 42 of Hamrun, Shannon Cauchi, 23 of Hamrun, Robert Agius 29 of St Paul's Bay and Paul Anthony Pisani, 42 of Safi. 

All pleaded not guilty.

They were accused of importing 99 boxes containing five cartons of 200 cigarettes each and four boxes of 50 cartons of cigarettes each.

Over €145,500 were due in taxes.

Among those who gave evidence today was an Indonesian man, Guz Nodu who said that he used to work on the boat. He said this was the boat's third smuggling trip, in which cigarettes and alcohol had been imported.

Mr Atif said they used to go out fishing, and Mr Borg would then receive a call on his satellite phone to rendezvous with a bigger boat from which the goods would be transferred.

During today's sitting Magistrate Anthony Vella suspended the cross examination of the witness pending a decision on whether he could be considered as a competent witness.

Defence counsel Franco Debono argued that if the witness was an accomplice and had handled the cargo, he should have been a co-accused and therefore not a competent witness

The accused were granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €10,000.

The other defence counsel were Veronique Dalli, Marion Camilleri and Katleen Grima.

Dr Debono argued that if the witness was an accomplice