On Thursday, Tunisian customs authorities at the Ras Jedir border crossing successfully managed to thwart an attempt to smuggle foreign currency, valued at 2.4 million Tunisian dinars.
In a statement, the General Administration of Customs said that “this comes as part of efforts to stop the smuggling of money on the southeastern border with Libya.”
It added that a customs guard patrol was able to thwart the attempt to smuggle €525,000 Euros and $213,000 US Dollars. These were hidden in a car with a foreign license plate, at the Chichma region in Medenine. The total value of the seized money was estimated at 2.4 million dinars.
A spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, Brigadier Haitham Znad, confirmed that the seized money was secured by the Central Bank of Tunisia. He added that a report of seizure has been ratified, and the public prosecutor has been informed to initiate the necessary legal proceedings.
In 2022, Tunisia’s national airline, Tunisair announced that it had reopened its office in Tripoli, according to the Supreme Council of Tunisian and Libyan Businessmen.
Flights between Tunisia and Libya have been halted several times since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The most recent interruption began in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also over security concerns.
Notably, Tunisian products have been largely absent from Libyan shelves since the border was closed.
Libya shut its land border and suspended flights between the two countries on 08 July 2021, citing the explosion in COVID-19 cases in Tunisia.
But with the caseload rapidly dropping, officials on both sides agreed to reopen after Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba met Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis on 09 September.
The Ras Jdeir border post is the main crossing between Libya and Tunisia. Both sides rely heavily on cross-border trade — including smuggling.
Tunisia is also a key destination for Libyans seeking medical treatment not available locally. It is also one of a handful of countries that authorizes incoming flights from Libya and allows Libyans visa-free entry.
Travellers, including children, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must produce a negative PCR test or face hotel quarantine.
