Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Monday that four “wanted criminals” were killed after an exchange of fire in al-Manzala city, Dakahlia Governorate, during a raid on a home that authorities have described as a “drug trafficking hotbed.”
A statement from the Ministry said that the individuals in question had formed a gang for drug trafficking, using the house and adjacent fields belonging to the main suspect as a place to promote their activities.
The statement said that the main suspect killed in the incident, 44, was wanted over 17 cases, including those related to drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and robbery. The latest of these cases is over drug trafficking, for which he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
It said that the suspects killed were found with three automatic guns, a pistol, “hundreds” of bullets, five kilograms of marijuana, a sword, and a machete, according to Egyptian authorities.
The Public Security sector had previously received information on drug trafficking activity by the main suspect in collaboration with the three other suspects, and that they possessed firearms and ammunition without a license, according to the statement.
A team was then dispatched, supported by combat groups from the Central Security Forces, to raid the home and arrest the gang members.
As they arrived at the scene, the suspects in question opened fire on the police forces and later died in the exchange of fire, according to Egyptian authorities.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
