A shop owner in Cospicua was caught red-handed with contraband cigarettes on Friday evening, following months of surveillance. 

Customs enforcement officials spotted the man retrieving the cigarettes from a storage unit next to his shop and immediately pounced. 

They then searched his shop and store and found 1,700 contraband cigarettes. 

In a statement, Customs said that it had been observing the man for months. 

The contraband cigarettes have now been seized pending investigations.

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