Egypt's Army Stopped Weapons, Drugs Smuggling From Libya - Spokesperson

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Egyptian Armed Forces prevented the smuggling of weapons and large batches of drugs from neighboring Libya, an army spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

"The border guards together with the forces of the Western Military District managed to stop two four-wheel-drive vehicles on the western border, in which they found three machine guns, a sniper rifle, five magazines, 115 different cartridges, and a satellite phone," the army's statement reads.

READ MORE: Libya Turned Into Hell: Seven Years Without Gaddafi

In addition, the military confiscated a large consignment of drugs — about a million pills and one tonne of other drugs.

Egypt's army statement follows the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 17 that Egypt and Russia will continue to jointly work on searching for ways to overcome the internal political crisis in Libya.

Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The eastern part of the country is governed by the parliament, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) and located in Tobruk. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, operates in the country's west and is headquartered in Tripoli. Libya is set to hold its general elections on December 10.