Three migrants who tried to slip out of the country by hiding inside a shipping container on Thursday, landed behind bars on Friday. 

Tarek Akutan Kitiel, 18, Djibrilf Adam, 18, and Nasreddin Salem, 29, all Sudanese nationals living at the Ħal Far open centre, were escorted to court under arrest, after being caught out at the Valletta Gateway Terminal at around midday. 

The trio were charged with embarking a vessel without informing the immigration authorities, without the authorisation of the captain and also for having entered into the restricted zone at the sea port. 

Assisted by an interpreter, all three accused pleaded guilty, confirming their admission after consulting their lawyer, being given time to reconsider and being warned by presiding magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo that the charges carried an effective jail term of between six months and two years. 

When making submissions on punishment, legal aid lawyer Martin Fenech suggested a suspended sentence, arguing that it could prove more effective than imprisonment in curbing future wrongdoing once the accused had served time behind bars. 

The court, however, condemned each of the accused to a six-month effective jail term. 

Inspector Christian Abela prosecuted.