Sea captain Carmelo Grech is expected to face smuggling charges in Libya after his arrest two weeks ago, the Times of Malta has learnt.

Mr Grech will also face charges for carrying excessive amounts of cash – he was caught with more than €300,000 at Labrak airport near Al Bayda, a city in eastern Libya.

Sources in Libya said Mr Grech would be charged in the court at Al Bayda over the coming days. They said the smuggling charges were not specified yet.

Mr Grech, 60, was arrested by forces loyal to the internationally recognised Tobruk government, along with Jordanian Saud Abdelrahman Saud and two other Algerians.

Mr Grech’s colleagues are also expected to be charged by the Libyan authorities.

He had travelled to Libya with a valid visa issued by the Libyan embassy in Berlin representing the Tobruk government. Mr Grech entered Libya through Mitiga airport in Tripoli before making his way to the east of Libya.

The government was in touch with the Tobruk administration to secure Mr Grech’s release but it is unlikely this will happen any time soon given the criminal charges that are expected to be filed.

Mr Grech, who owns a fishing trawler through the family company Gulf Fisheries Ltd, had “strong links” to Libya. In the 2011 anti-Gaddafi uprising he had ferried medical and humanitarian supplies to Misurata, which was under siege.

With Libya split between two administrations and individual militias controlling various outposts, fuel, arms and other smuggling operations are big business.

Captain caught with €300,000 is facing smuggling charges

While in Libya, Mr Grech was contacted to travel to Benghazi where he was to collect the money, according to sources. It is not clear why he was owed this sum or whether he was picking it up on someone else’s behalf.

Libyan sources said that investigations were focusing on the origins of the money allegedly in the possession of Mr Grech and his colleagues.

However, this was not the end of his journey since from Benghazi Mr Grech turned back and travelled the 170-kilometre route to Al Bayda’s airport. His destination was unknown.

Mr Grech was detained at the airport by general Khalifa Haftar’s forces and taken to the Libyan National Army headquarters in the city of Al Marj, 83 km east of Benghazi. He is currently held at the Garnata high security prison.