The customs center of the Misrata seaport in Libya has successfully seized 12,000 weapons, which were being smuggled aboard a commercial ship coming from Malta.
The Misrata Port Customs Center said that customs officers were able to stop and seize a 20-foot container containing 12,000 weapons (pistols), in cooperation with the Joint Operations Force.
The center indicated that after the inspections, the “smuggled shipment was seized in one of the containers, which contained household items for camouflage. Customs officers were able to detect and seize this container. It arrived at the port of Misrata on board the ship (Biltaky), which carries the flag of the State of Liberia, and was coming from Malta, via the CMACGM shipping line.”
The statement confirmed that “this seizure is only one of several seizures made by the center during 2023, as part of the framework for combating smuggling and drugs.”
Last month, Libyan security forces announced the seizure of “advanced and dangerous weapons” that were hidden in the desert, and due to be smuggled to Egypt.
The Director of the Tobruk Security Directorate in eastern Libya, said in a press briefing that the “weapons were seized in the southeastern region, in the village of Jaghbub, after we monitored suspicious movements in the region.”
He added that the weapons were confiscated, and called on citizens to “take advantage of the seven-day deadline granted by the Ministry of the Interior to hand over their weapons.”
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior in the Libyan Parliament-designated government, Faraj Qaim, confirmed the launch of an expanded campaign to collect weapons in the areas controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA) armed forces.
Qaim explained that this campaign will be launched on the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
He added that the expanded campaign will include even the search of homes, and whoever refuses to hand over what is in his possession to the nearest camp or directorate will be referred to the Anti-Terrorism Prosecution.
Qaim stated that after exactly seven days, any dens containing weapons will be raided, in addition to the homes of citizens who did not hand over the weapons in his possession.
The Libyan official pointed out that a committee was formed by the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior, with the help of trained dogs and advanced weapons detection devices.
He stated that anyone who violates this will be subject to legal accountability and referred to the Anti-Terror Prosecution, because the military weapon falls within the scope of the terrorism law, “state security issues.”
