Three Gozitan men have been banned from entering France for five years after being caught with a large quantity of nitrous oxide canisters in the French Alps, a French court has ruled.The men were also each handed eight‑month jail sentences, suspended for two years, and fined €1,000 after being found guilty of possessing and transporting the canisters according to Times of Malta. The men have since been released and deported from France with the ban from the country coming into effect. The convictions were made at a court in Albertville, France, where prosecutors had sought one‑year prison terms for all three men. On 23rd February, following a nine‑hour hearing, a judge convicted them and issued the suspended sentences.The three were arrested on 27th January after customs officials discovered 13 pallets of nitrous oxide- commonly known as laughing gas- inside a rented unit in an industrial park in the Savoy region of the French Alps. French police subsequently searched the men’s apartment, where they found additional nitrous oxide canisters identical to those in the warehouse, along with cash.Nitrous oxide, while not classified as a narcotic under French law, is often used recreationally for its short‑term euphoric effects. Its use and distribution are illegal in various parts of France.In addition to sentencing and the five‑year ban on returning to France, the three were represented in court by French lawyer Pierre‑Olivier Lambert, assisted by local lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri.•