By Hassan Ghonema
A shipment of ammunition worth EGP 20 million was seized on Monday morning in the Suez governorate. Three men have been taken in to custody in relation to the seizure of the shipment thought to have been smuggled from Libya.
An investigation has begun, under the supervision of Attorney General for Suez Ahmed Abdel Halim, into the shipment of sophisticated military ammunition. The shipment was en route from the north coast to the northern Sinai region. Prosecutors have asked explosives experts to check the ammunition and prepare a report.
The shipment contained a total of five thousand rounds.
Detectives from Suez worked with the drug enforcement administration to detain the truck, which is designed to transport liquid cement to construction sites. The truck was detained at the entrance to the Shaheed Ahmed Hamdy tunnel, which goes under the Suez canal.
Major General Adel Refaat, the chief of Suez security is monitoring the roads leading to the Sinai to control the smuggling of drugs and weapons. He received information from Detective Superintendent Samy Azmi about a truck travelling from Marsa Matruh towards Sinai carrying a shipment of drugs and weapons. Several ambushes were prepared and boxes of live ammunition were found when the mixer was opened.
The vehicle was taken to a safe zone to be inspected by ammunition and explosives experts.
Three men have been referred to the public prosecutor for investigation. The preliminary investigations have confirmed that the defendants were transporting ammunition and weapons from the Egyptian-Libyan border to the Sinai.
Additional reporting by Joel Gulhane
