Libyan authorities arrest smugglers with 100 kgs of gold and $1.6 million

Libya’s Internal Security Agency announced on Saturday that it intercepted smugglers attempting to flee the country with 100 kilograms of gold and $1.6 million in cash, according to Reuters.

The contraband was discovered during a routine security inspection at Misrata International Airport, located 125 miles east of Tripoli. The suitcases, packed with gold bars and Euro currency, were reportedly destined for Turkey.

In a related case from May, Tripoli's attorney general had ordered the arrest of the Misrata airport’s customs director and other officials, accusing them of conspiring in a plot to smuggle 26,000 kg of gold.

Turkey, along with the U.S. and most Western nations, supports the Libyan government based in Tripoli, while Russia, Egypt, and the UAE back the rival government based in Benghazi.

Libya remains locked in a crisis over which faction should control its Central Bank, the institution responsible for managing the country’s vast oil revenues.