A local Libyan fisherman made an alarming discovery on Sunday, finding several tightly sealed rubber bags that he suspected contained illicit drugs. The Sabratha Criminal Investigation Department was notified, where they seized and secured over 25 kilograms of cocaine, taking all necessary legal actions and notifying the Public Prosecution.
In light of this discovery, the Ministry of Interior took the opportunity to stress the critical role of citizens in achieving police objectives.
The ministry emphasized that the citizen’s role in ensuring security and safety is just as vital as that of law enforcement officers. This mutual awareness fosters a robust community relationship, and strengthens the bond between the public and security agencies.
In June, the Libyan Intelligence Services in Benghazi announced the seizure of 25 kilograms of cocaine, on a beach.
The agency said that it had issued a report to the Narcotics Control Office.
The statement added that, “there exists a major scheme from abroad, supported by weak-minded people inside the country to target young people, by promoting this large amount of drugs.”
In March, a large shipment of narcotic pills was seized at the Benghazi seaport. The smugglers attempted to conceal them inside imported cars, on a ship arriving from France, according to the media division of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
The division stated that during the periodic procedures for inspection and follow-up at the seaport, “more than 10 million hallucinogenic pills that were stored in imported cars, on a cargo ship coming from France, were found.”
In February, Libya’s Interior Ministry announced that members of the deterrence apparatus arrested an organized gang, that was planning to manufacture and trade drugs internationally.
In a statement, the Ministry said that “a machine used to manufacture narcotic pills at a very high density was seized after arriving in the country, through a seaport coming from Europe.”
The statement explained that “this was done after setting up a tight ambush in the Al-Sawani area to seize the machine, while it was being delivered to a Libyan city, to begin the production process of nearly 100,000 narcotic pills per day.”
The drug trade in Libya has proliferated since the 2011 civil war. Last year, the Maltese authorities recently seized 612kg of cocaine en route to Libya, in a record-breaking haul worth some €69 million.