An attempt to smuggle a large shipment of Turkish-made rifles into Libya through the Khoms port has been foiled, Libyan customs authorities announced Saturday.
The customs agency said in a statement that inspectors at the Khoms customs center discovered 500 rifles concealed inside boxes within a 40-foot shipping container arriving from Turkey. The guns were hidden amongst ordinary goods such as furniture, shoes and clothing, according to officials.
Each box contained 10 rifles camouflaged as tables in an apparent effort to evade detection.
The seizure comes less than a month after a UN panel documented multiple violations of the international arms embargo on Libya. Armed groups within the country continue to receive illicit arms shipments, according to the report.