The Malta Customs Department gave a break down of items it seized in the first three months of the year in its work to protect the national and the European Union's citizens from both tax evasion, as well as illegal trade and contraband. 

In the first quarter of 2016, officers from various sections within the Malta Customs Department sezied the below items following searches performed in various establishments as well as at the borders of our country:

 

Description	Totals
Ecstasy pills	300
Marijuana	3.6kg
MDMA	14g
Cocaine	14g
Counterfeit pills	56.8 million
Cigarettes (Evasion of excise duty)	151580
Pipe tobacco (Evasion of excise duty)	60g
Rolling tobacco (Evasion of excise duty)	572g
Smokeless Tobacco (prohibited)	24.15kg
Alcohol (Evasion of excise duty)	55 bottles
Wine (Evasion of excise duty)	2370 bottle
Ceramic tiles	7197 boxes
Clothing items	1080
Bedding	320
Heaters	238
Passports (trafficked into the country)	11
Counterfeit clothing	4 cartons
Vacuum cleaners	57 boxes
Counterfeit merchandise	616
Items without CE Markings	106
Prohibited weapons or ammunition	32
Frames with butterflies (protected by CITES)	3
Bird skins (protected by CITES)	66
Leather products (protected by CITES)	2
Ivory items	1
Meat and dairy products (prohibited)	127.35kg

There is no doubt that the above quantities would have made a serious impact on the local as well as the Union's financial interests, not to mention that they put the European Union's safety in jeopardy. It is thus imperative for the general public to help the Malta Customs Department in their fight against tax avoidance, tax evasion, illicit trade in prohibited and restricted goods, and drug trafficking, and therefore the department encourages anyone with any kind of relevant information to come forward. 

One can make an anonymous report at any time of the day by calling on 25685124, the Department said.