2017 has been one of the busiest and most positive year for the Malta Customs Department.
The department said in a statement it has made the headlines around the world after their 300kg Cocaine haul, which is Malta’s largest cocaine bust to date.
In fact the enforcement section (with the exclusion of the IPR section) has made the below seizures during 2017;
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Undeclared Cash
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234,295euros
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Cigarettes (excise evasion)
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19,787,951
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Tobacco (excise evasion)
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250kg
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Narcotics
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500kg
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Fireworks
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942 Bales
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Illegal medications
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32,000,000 items
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These seizures occurred in the Customs areas situated in the ports, airport, Freeport, and in outlets.
In 2018, the department said it will launch its new scanning shed which boast state of the art scanning equipment as well as a dedicated Canine Unit. More investment in human resources as well as enforcement tools is expected.
The department’s administration has been recently restructured, and has been hard at work at improving the overall operational performance to not only serve the public better, but also to protect the financial, environmental, and health interests of the community whilst facilitating trade.