A car carrying 10 kilos of cannabis from Sicily to Malta was flagged by one of the new Customs sniffer dogs, during routine checks.

The street value of the drugs is estimated to be around €20,000. The car belonged to an Italian national.

When the dog flagged the vehicle, an initial physical search failed to yield results.
But Sparky was not put off and his reaction led a customs officer to suspect that the car had a hidden compartment.

The vehicle was transferred to the police garage where expert officers dismantled all its panels, and elevated drugs from two separate, well-hidden compartments.

This case developed in parallel with an earlier one at the Freeport where 44 kilograms of cocaine, worth €4.5 million were seized.

An inquiry is being held.

Sparky sparked off the intensive search.