A van driver who tried to smuggle 600 bottles of wine and more than 150 bottles of beer into Malta from Sicily drove to bed with a €862 fine on Thursday night.

The contraband alcohol was discovered in the back of his Italian-registered vehicle by Customs officials who stopped and searched it as it came off the ferry from Pozzallo, Sicily.

They discovered cases of wine containing 600 bottles in total, as well as 156 bottles of beer.