Two men believed to form part of a massive bird smuggling ring are under arrest after police seized around 2,500 stuffed birds from their homes.

The two suspects are a 42-year-old Żurrieq man and a 57-year-old Gudja man, the police said in a statement on Saturday. Investigators suspect them of being part of a wider organised crime ring through which protected birds are smuggled into Malta and then stuffed.

Officers seized around 2,500 stuffed birds from the two men’s homes, along with seven shotguns.

When officers searched the Żurrieq man’s home, they also found over 100 protected birds in a freezer, as well as the carcass of a protected African Genet.

Inside the Gudja man’s home, they also found 40 birds in a freezer.

A police investigation into the criminal ring is under way.

It is the largest such haul in years. In 2019, the police had discovered 700 dead birds in what they said was a similar ring focused on stuffing and selling protected birds.

At the time, investigators had told Times of Malta that the seizure was most likely “the tip of the iceberg.”