Libya’s military seized more than 1.3 million narcotic pills after a firefight with smugglers in Kufra, a southeastern town near the borders of Chad and Sudan, the military said on Friday. The clash left three soldiers injured, according to a statement by the Subul al-Salam infantry brigade.
The brigade, operating under the Land Forces General Staff and reporting to military commander Khalifa Haftar of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, targeted hideouts used by traffickers of narcotics and illicit goods. Kufra lies about 1,700 km from Tripoli, Libya’s capital.
The military released photos showing soldiers standing around dozens of small transparent plastic bags filled with round white pills. Each pill bore the number one and the phrase “made in Germany” printed in black. The statement did not provide an estimated value for the seized drugs.
Libya has become a major transit hub for synthetic drugs and narcotics moving across North Africa and into other parts of the continent. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a January report that traffickers have exploited the country’s ongoing instability since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Gaddafi fractured Libya’s political and security landscape. Since then, rival factions and militias have controlled different parts of the country, allowing smuggling networks to grow.
Earlier this year, the UNODC identified Libya as a key route for synthetic drugs, particularly Captagon tablets, produced in the Middle East and destined for markets in Africa and Europe.
The military’s seizure in Kufra is the latest in a series of crackdowns on drug smuggling. In October, five people were sentenced to death by a court in Libya’s Western Mountains region for importing more than 2 million psychotropic pills. The attorney general announced the verdict amid growing concern over the spread of narcotics in the country.
The eastern-based Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, has intensified operations against smuggling networks in recent months, including targeting drug storage facilities and trafficking routes.
The military’s statement did not clarify the identity of the smugglers, the circumstances of the firefight, or the current status of those detained. It also did not specify whether the seized pills were intended for domestic consumption or export.
Libya’s position as a transit point for narcotics continues to complicate efforts to stabilise the country. Despite various military campaigns, the porous borders and fragmented control hinder sustained enforcement.
The Subul al-Salam brigade’s operation in Kufra adds to the broader challenges faced by Libyan authorities in curbing the flow of illicit substances through the region.
According to Joy Online.
