A Maltese man has been caught allegedly trying to smuggle more than €115,000 into Italy. 

The Italian Guardia di Finanza said a 47-year-old hauler had been caught trying to smuggle the money into the Sicilian port of Catania. 

He had just driven his vehicle off a ferry when Italian customs officials and police officers started a routine inspection.  

They said he had started acting suspiciously, giving contradictory answers and appearing uneasy.  

This led officials to conduct a thorough search of his vehicle. 

They said that a bag stuffed with cash was found concealed in a false bulkhead between the car’s cabin and the engine cavity.  

The man had not declared the cash, even though authorities should be informed of anything over €10,000 being taken across the border.