Italian police seize £44m of Isil ‘fighter drug’ pills

Italian police have seized €50million (£44million) worth of tablets of a synthetic opiate destined to be sold by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) group in Libya to raise funds for attacks, a court said yesterday.

Financial police discovered more than 24million Tramadol tablets being transported from India to Libya at the port of Gioia Tauro. The painkiller has been described as the “fighter drug” for its ability to dull pain and suppress fatigue. Investigators believe the Isil group planned to sell the tablets to its foot soldiers for €2 (£1.80) a pill.