Four held in case of arms smuggling at The Port of Algiers

The investigating judge of the fifth chamber of Sidi M’hamed’s Court ordered, late Monday night, that six suspects in an arms smuggling scandal, be held in provisional custody. The suspects, one expatriate and 5 customs agents.

However the judge, Yasmina Dehimi, released one suspect, the inspector at the Port of Algiers, known as ‘M Said.’

According Ennahar Online, the suspects are an agent, known as  ‘A. Noureddine’ whom – the court concluded – is responsible for validating the smuggled weapons.

The second detainee, ‘B. Asia’, an examination agent, is known to have a close relationship with the foreign  smuggler (aged 30 years old and a resident of the city of Lyon).

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Further, both ‘B.R’ and ‘Q.H’, both of whom are commanding officers of a port a were monitored, with the phone calls between them and the foreign suspect tracked.

The source told Ennahar Online that during the initial investigations, the suspects confessed that they had facilitated  the smuggler.

The suspects were brought before the court yesterday, after security officers spotted suspicious utility vehicle at a petrol station near the the exit of the port. The vehicle was stopped after being subjected to routine inspection.

Six semi-automatic rifles were seized as well as live ammunition.