Italy arrests 6 members of Libya oil smuggling ring

Italian police yesterday announced the arrest of six members of an international network which smuggled stolen Libyan fuel to Italy and Europe.

A police statement said officers from the Sicilian city of Catania have arrested six people, two from Malta, two from Libya and two Italians, while the search continues for another three Libyans.

According to the statement, the group smuggled stolen fuel from the Zawiya refinery in Libya by sea to Sicily and then sold it across Europe.

Investigations by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Catania revealed that “Libyan militias guarded the stolen fuel while it was loaded onto ships then transferred it to Sicily”. The stolen fuel was later sold through a Maltese company in Italy and Europe.

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