Egyptian police have found 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of explosives buried near a central desert village in the Sinai Peninsula, a police officer said Sunday.

Captain Mohammed Badr of the northern Sinai police force said a tip from local Bedouins regarding alleged drug smuggling instead led officials to discover the explosives packed in ten plastic sacks near the Gifgafa village located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of El-Arish.

Wide parts of the Sinai desert are used for drug and weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip. Last month, police found more than 1,200 kilograms (2,645 pounds) of TNT explosives buried in the northern desert.

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Islamic militants have carried out three major bomb attacks in Sinai since October 2004. The blasts in the resorts of Sharm el-Sheik, Taba and Dahab killed 125 people.

The government blamed the attacks on a local Islamic militant group, which appears to have been inspired by Al-Qaida ideology.

Israel has repeatedly accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop smuggling into the seaside strip, particularly through tunnels. Egypt recently said it would make a greater effort to stop smuggling.

IDF arrests three drug smugglers near border with Egypt
An IDF patrol on Sunday arrested three men attempting to smuggle drugs into Israel. The patrol arrested the suspects while they were trying to cross into Israel, seizing 80 Kg of marijuana and around 50 cartons of imported cigarettes. The suspects have been placed under police custody for questioning.