The Romanian police have arrested three Maltese men who were allegedly found in possession of protected birds.
In a statement, the Romanian police said the men were arrested in the Orlești region on January 21 by officers of the Bureau of Explosive Weapons and Dangerous Substances.
The three men aged 24, 49 and 62 years were driving a car where the police found five different species of game. Hunting is prohibited on four of the species. The police also found three hunting weapons which were rented from a gun shop in the Valcea County.
Following verifications carried out by the police, they established that between January 16-21, the three Maltese citizens collected 19 specimens of different species, including ducks, for which they did not have authorisation.
The police said they seized the car, weapons, game and a boat, which are all being used in their investigations.
Criminal action will be taken against the three Maltese nationals.