Security Forces Arrest Arm Traffickers Who Smuggle American Rifles From Libya

Algiers Dar Bida criminal court opened, on Sunday, one of the most dangerous smuggling case that is involving an international cell of small arms trafficking from the provinces of Tebessa and Umm al-Boughi (eastern Algeria), who tried to dump the national territory with weapons that are smuggled from Libya through the Tunisian city of Sfax to the region of Bir El Ater in Tebessa (eastern Algeria), and realize selling and buying deals in Tunisia, and then reselling them to criminal gangs or handing them over to terrorist back up cells.

However, the intelligence of the search and intervention authorities was able to dismantle the cell and overthrow 4 of its members, one of whom is still in escape, and retrieved 26 weapons.

The details of the file, based on what the court discussed, came after confirmed information, which came to Algiers Intervention and Research Task Forces, about the presence of suspicious persons who leak and smuggle US-made weapons through the border between Libya and Tunisia to the national territory, and the holding of deals in the area of Bir El Ater, Tebessa.

In this regard, the judicial police services set out special procedures for launching their investigations, the suspect was identified as H, Fathi, 33, and a search and intervention team was able to contact him on the grounds that he was a client, a,d he agreed to sign a deal to sell 5 hunting rifles worth 125 million centimes and set a date for delivery in Algiers Harrache district. However, the cell was skeptical and decided to change the delivery location to reinforce the precautionary measures, demanding to be delivered in the area of Bir al-Ater in Tebessa (eastern Algeria).

In order to enable the security services to collect larger quantities of weapons to avoid their access to criminal hands and terrorist groups, they decided to make a second deal with the gang members by the same person two months later, involving 20 more arms worth 300 million centimes, and during the deliveries the suspects “K. Haroune” and “A. B” were arrested and were in possession of weapons with 145 cartridges, after they showed strong resistance to the cops who planned their arrest.

In the context of the investigation and hearing, H.Fathi said that he hid an automatic pistol under a cursed sign in Bir al-Atar, and that the gun was seized by security services. It also turned out that the mastermind of the smuggling operations the accused “H, Fathi” entered the territory of Tunisia illegally, in his car in 2016.

He was arrested by the Tunisian authorities for the same charge of smuggling weapons for the terrorist groups. It was also found, after he was interrogated along with other members of the cell, that he was a senior arms dealer, along with his brother H, Mounir “Al Far”, and he was follow-up on heavy charges, related to the felony of the organization of a criminal gang to prepare for the crime of import and trade in weapons of the fourth and fifth categories and ammunition of the first category, without a license from the legally competent authority and smuggling.

Accordingly, the Attorney-General sought to impose life sentences against the accused.