An Egyptian boat carrying smuggled Libyan diesel to Malta has been stopped by the Libyan coastguard, the Lana news agency reported.

The crew,12 Egyptians and a Maltese, were caught three miles off the coast of Zuara.

Documents found on board the boat, the Fahd Al Islam, indicated that this smuggling attempt was not the first. During this month alone the boat had apparently made three trips from Libya to Malta, allegedly working for a Maltese company, the agency said.

The Malta Customs Department and the police on Saturday arrested five persons and seized 11,500 litres of diesel.

The arrests were made when the men were found pumping diesel from a fishing boat to tanks inside a van at Marsamxett.

Officials had been monitoring the fishing boat following information by the Security Service.

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