China planned to send armed drones worth $1 billion to Libya using a UK-based shell company to skirt an international weapons ban, The Telegraph can reveal.

The scheme aimed to deliver as many as 92 drones, capable of loading multiple missiles, from China to Libya disguised as coronavirus aid – and in direct violation of a United Nations arms embargo.

In exchange, Libya would unload barrels of crude oil to China at a discount, with the secret drone shipment part of the payment.

China hoped sending arms would end the country’s civil war quickly, allowing Beijing to gain influence and a foothold in future trade with the energy-rich north African country.

The details emerged in an ongoing inquiry in Canada, where investigators have identified three alleged co-conspirators who negotiated the deal while employed at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency based in Montreal.

Emails discussing the plan between 2018 and 2021, reviewed by investigators and quoted in Canadian court documents, have been seen by The Telegraph. They describe using a web of shell companies registered in the UK, Egypt and Tunisia to conduct transactions.