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.