Libya’s Internal Security Agency has revealed a failed attempt to smuggle 100kg of gold worth $8.4 million, as well as €1.5 million in cash to Turkey through Misrata International Airport.
The smuggling attempt, which took place on Saturday, was exposed during a routine security check prior to the international flight. The check revealed gold bars stuffed into 3 suitcases, with the cash bagged in a separate suitcase.
According to the ISA, once the contents of the suitcases were identified, the owners of the suitcases were subsequently arrested.
It will be recalled that in May, the director-general of the customs authority and the head of customs at Misrata airport, we’re arrested for conspiring to traffic about 26 tons of gold, according to a Bloomberg report.
The recent operation, though thwarted, is another instance of the prevalence of theft and smuggling of cheaply extracted African resources in areas of the continent that have been destabilised by foreign military action. Libya, it will be recalled, has been wracked by civil war and instability since the 2011 violent regime change operation led by NATO.
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