Libyan security officials on Saturday seized a cargo van that had carried roughly 100,000 ecstasy pills, each moulded into the shape of former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s head and shoulders. The pills, smuggled from an unnamed European country, were discovered at a Libyan port after a tip‑off led the Al Rada for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime to track the shipment.
Images released by the agency showed brown pellets pressed with Gaddafi’s distinctive features and robes, a design that has become a hallmark of the seized drugs. The operation, conducted by officers under the Tripoli‑based Presidential Council, resulted in several suspects being referred to prosecutors.
Libya has long been a transit hub for synthetic drugs destined for local users and other parts of North Africa, a trend highlighted in a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report released in January. The report noted that drug gangs have exploited the country’s post‑2011 turmoil, using the chaos to expand their operations.
With Libya still divided between the Government of National Unity in the west and forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar in the east, the seizure underscores the ongoing challenges the country faces in curbing narcotics trafficking.
Law enforcement officials say the operation was a significant blow to the drug trade, and the seized shipment will be examined further as part of a broader crackdown on organized crime.
