On 17 March, the Times of Malta published a report by Andreas Weitzer titled ‘Fuel smuggling is for grown-ups now’. In his report, Weitzer looks into fuel smuggling from Libya, claiming that it has ‘grown into a multi-billion-dollar business, involving State actors, mercenaries and organised crime on a large scale’. He adds that the smuggling activities have evolved into a corporate business, upgrading from fishing boats to ‘big, ocean-going vessels’. Additionally, he points to what he calls ‘Libya’s absurd fuel subsidy regime’, which he claims is ‘at the core of this lucrative business’.
Read the full report here.