Three Maltese banned from France for five years over laughing gas
Trio given suspended sentences and ordered to leave country
Three Maltese nationals caught with thousands of nitrous oxide canisters in the French Alps have been banned from returning to France for five years.
The three men, who are from Gozo, each received eight month jail sentences suspended for two years, and a €1,000 fine after a court in Albertville, France found them guilty of possessing and transporting the canisters.
Nitrous oxide, commonly referred to as laughing gas, is used as a recreational drug due to its short-term euphoric effects when inhaled. It sits in a legal grey area in French law. While not classified as a narcotic, its use and distribution are nevertheless illegal in various French regions.
The Maltese nationals were arrested in late January after customs officials found 13 pallets of nitrous oxide inside a rented unit in an industrial park in the French Alps region of Savoy. Inside their apartment, French police found nitrous oxide canisters that were identical to those in the warehouse, along with cash.
Police seized 6,325 nitrous oxide canisters in total and estimated their value at €340,000.
Prosecutors sought a one-year prison sentence for all three.
On Monday, following a marathon nine-hour hearing, a judge found the three guilty and handed them suspended jail terms.
All three were released and told they would not be allowed into France for the next five years.
The three were represented by French lawyer Pierre-Olivier Lambert assisted by local lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri.