A British woman was allegedly caught with 5,000 ecstasy pills at Malta International Airport on Saturday afternoon.

Police investigators said the 50-year-old woman, who has relatives in Malta, was stopped by customs officials when she arrived on a flight from the UK.

When her luggage was searched, customs and police officials found a soft toy containing a number of pills.

A more extensive search uncovered 5,000 ectasy pills.

Duty Magistrate C. Scerri Herrera appointed court experts to help the inquiry. The police said a number of people could be arraigned in the coming days.