Malta confiscates 23 powerboats destined for Libya

SANAA, Oct. 14 (YPA) –  Malta customs intercepted and seized 23 powerboats destined for Libya on suspicion of people smuggling, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday.

According to “Xinhua”, Abela said in a tweet announcing the seizure: “Silently but diligently, and sometimes alone, we are fighting the root causes of irregular migration.”

The boats were loaded inside 23 different containers and arrived at Malta Freeport on a container ship.

After discussions with the Sanctions Monitoring Board, the Customs Department decided to confiscate the boats because human traffickers would use them to smuggle people to Europe.