In a southeastern Libyan town, the Subul al‑Salam infantry brigade seized more than 1.3 million narcotic pills after a firefight with smugglers, the military said on Friday. The operation took place in Kufra, about 1,700 km from Tripoli, where soldiers targeted hideouts used by traffickers of illicit goods.
Pictures posted by a military media unit showed soldiers surrounding tens of transparent plastic bags filled with round white pills bearing the number one and a black inscription that read “made in Germany.” The brigade, operating under the Land Forces General Staff, reports to military commander Khalifa Haftar of the eastern‑based Libyan National Army.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime noted in January that Libya has become a major transit hub for synthetic drugs en route to domestic users and other parts of the continent. Drug gangs have exploited the country’s turmoil since 2011, when former ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a NATO‑backed uprising.
Earlier this year, a court in the Western Mountains region handed death sentences to five people for importing more than 2 million psychotropic pills. The attorney general said the convictions were part of a broader crackdown on drug trafficking.
The seized pills’ value was not disclosed, but the operation underscores Libya’s ongoing struggle against drug smuggling networks amid a prolonged period of internal conflict and division.
