The items seized included bumpers, grids, door handles, headlights, indicators and horns.

This container was one of those which were shortlisted to be screened by the Vehicle and Container Inspection System. Strong indications prevalent during preliminary investigations on 30 September led the customs officials to subject the container to more tests and in-depth investigations.

It was only on Monday that Peugeot officials confirmed that the spare parts in the 449 cartons inside the container and which carried the Peugeot trademark were in fact imitation products manufactured in China.

Parliamentary secretary Tonio Fenech expressed his gratitude to the Maltese authorities for their successful seizure of the imitation products.

He said that unlike other seizures, the products in question were not cigarettes or alcohol but car products.

He said the Malta Customs Department received messages of appreciation from its French counterpart because the products would have ended up on the French market.

Asked what will happen to the products now that they have been seized, customs director general John Mifsud said Peugeot will be paying the fees for them to be destroyed because it is in their commercial interest that these products do not make their way into the market to compete with original products of better quality