Customs officers have seized 48,620 contraband cigarettes and 211.38kg of illegal hand-rolling tobacco from a semi-basement garage in Birkirkara.

The Customs Department said its officers had found a man loading the cigarettes from a garage into a van.

When asked about the origin of the items, he stated that he purchased them from a local supplier, whom he refused to identify. He was not able to provide any invoices for the cigarettes containing excise banderols.

Tax due on the cigarettes was €8,320.00 in excise duty, €1,813.96 in VAT and €346.48 in import duty.

The taxes of the tobacco amounted to €25,788.36 in excise duty and €5,592.11 in VAT.

Investigations are continuing.

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