The customs center at Misrata sea port announced the seizure of a shipment of about 1,700,000 narcotic tablets hidden inside a cargo ship transporting vehicles.

The head of the center, Colonel Khaled Al-Dhala, said that the ship, which is flying the Italian flag, arrived at the port on Sunday from Belgium with 4,688 vehicles on board, according to a statement.

Al-Dhala pointed out that the shipment was discovered through private sources and customs members were able to extract it from inside four small cars and a medium-sized truck during the inspection and scanning process.

He added that the Public Prosecution has seized the shipment to complete the legal procedures and expects an increase in the number of seized pills as the inspection process continues. 

He noted that this case is the fourth of its kind for the center this year.