Contraband cigarette smugglers, sellers and smokers, you have been warned.
Customs has announced an extensive crackdown on the black market for contraband cigarettes, with anything from shops to band clubs and even private residences in officials' sights.
In a statement announcing the anti-contraband operation, Customs singled out four brands of cigarettes smuggled into Malta - Business Royals, American Legend, Manchester and Tradition - and noted that a court had recently sent a smuggler to jail for six months and fined them €13,082.
Customs said that it would be cracking down on the trade by tackling the supply of contraband cigarettes, by identifying smugglers and intercepting shipments, as well as their demand.
From shops to residences
Shop owners, hawkers, band clubs of all sorts and seafarers would be harshly dealt with if they were caught selling the cigarettes. People smoking them will not be spared either: individuals, homes, garages, warehouses and private vehicles all fall within the crackdown's remit, Customs said.
According to the law, anyone caught with even a single contraband cigarette is liable to a €250 fine and to pay outstanding taxes.
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