Smuggled goods found in San Gwann greengrocery

Persistence by Customs officers, tipped off by reports about the sale of smuggled goods by a vegetable hawker, led to the discovery of whisky and cigarettes on which excise duty had not been paid.

The goods, 252 cartons of cigarettes of various brands, each containing 200 cigarettes, and 22 one-litre bottles of Bells whisky were found at the hawker's greengrocery in San Gwann, yesterday.

The Customs Department estimated that the unpaid excise duty amounted to about Lm4,000.

Members of the Customs enforcement division started investigating the case late last week when officers kept the hawker under surveillance.

The Customs officers, aided by the police fraud squad, intercepted the hawker on Friday while selling vegetables with his van.

A search of the van, however proved negative, the Customs Department said.

But unconvinced that everything was in order, the officers searched the hawkers' shop that is licensed to sell vegetables and related products.

The search paid off because the officers came across whisky and L&M, Silk Cut, Marlboro, Rothmans and Dunhill International cigarettes among other brands.

The hawker is now being investigated by the police.

The Customs department said the discovery of the haul was quite important because it reflected the efforts by the various Customs divisions to fight smuggling.