BENGHAZI, Libya, Oct 12 (Reuters) – Libya’s eastern-based authorities have seized about 400 kg of hashish worth around 6 million dinars ($934,000) and arrested some suspects near the coastal city of Tobruk, officials said.
Libya has become a major drug transit route as gangs exploit the turmoil and conflict since 2011 when former ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a NATO-backed uprising.
The anti-drugs agency’s information and documentation officer, Ahmed al-Mismari, told Reuters that Saturday’s operation took place at a house in an agricultural area southeast of the city.
“The preliminary investigations revealed the shipment had been smuggled across the border with Egypt and was intended for local marketing and distribution within the Libyan market,” Mismari said.
The detainees, whose number was not confirmed, were from Libya and Egypt.
Pictures posted by the agency showed a large quantity of hashish wrapped in gold and black patterned packages marked with symbols including a horse and the year 2026.
Also on Saturday, a Libyan National Army brigade seized more than 1.3 million narcotic pills after a firefight with smugglers in the southeastern town of Kufra. Three soldiers were injured, according to an army statement.
(Reporting by Ayman Werfalli; Writing by Ahmed Elumami; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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