On Sunday, the Red Sea Criminal Court sentenced 10 defendants, including two Egyptians, to death for participating in the smuggling of tons of drugs, including heroin, into the country via the Red Sea.
The defendants include seven Pakistanis, an Iranian and two Egyptians who are accused of transporting more than two tons of heroin to the Red Sea worth £ 2.050 billion.
In April 2019, Egyptian military and police intercepted the smuggling of 2,147 kilograms of heroin, 99 kilograms of crystalline methamphetamine (ICE) and banknotes on a ship in the Red Sea.
The Interior Ministry said the Drugs and Organized Crime Sector and the National Security Agency had received information about the preparation of a foreign-flagged merchant ship in the Red Sea that would ship drug shipments to the Egyptian mainland.
The ministry added that the army and police watched the ship and recognized the gang members involved in the smuggling, including two Egyptians previously sentenced to life in prison for drug cases and carrying illegal weapons, as well as seven other foreign smugglers.
The ministry explained that the military and police found a secret warehouse on the ship and seized large quantities of drugs, including 1,900 large quantities of raw heroin, 99 rolls of ICE drugs.