The National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Libya has announced the arrest of the most notorious fuel smuggling figure in Libya, Fahmi Salim Bin Khalifa.

The apprehension was carried out by the Tripoli-based Special Deterrent Force (SDF) as per an arrest warrant by the Attorney General's Office.

"The NOC has always been the first to condemn and combat the smugglers on the media as well as on the ground as it has formed an anti-smuggling committee that has been so far collecting information about smuggling operations around the country." A statement by the NOC explained on Friday.

The NOC also indicated that it had provided vital intelligence to the Attorney General's Office as well as to the UN Security Council's Experts Committee. The information included names of the smuggling vessels and their routes, names of the smugglers and the plate numbers of the trucks used for smuggling in order to pave the way for orders to track them down in Libya and outside it.

"The smuggling of fuel is an economic crime against the Libyan people as it could destabilize the country and end its fortunes." The NOC added.

It also said that Fahmi Salim is just a person out of an entire network of smuggling; a network that is skillful in what the NOC described as an organized cross-border crime, urging the entire country to combat this crime and boost security on the Libyan borders so that other smugglers can be brought to justice in local and international circles.

The SDF announced on Thursday the arrest of the kingpin Fahmi Bin Khalifa (A.K.A. The King of Smuggling) who is wanted by the Attorney General for fuel and human smuggling.