Egyptian border guards thwarted attempts at illegal migration by 440 people during the month of October, a statement by the Egyptian army read on Tuesday.

The statement did not specify the nationalities of the migrants or provide details about their migration attempts.

Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman Tamer El-Refaie also said that the army's border guards destroyed three tunnels along the Egyptian border in North Sinai.

Authorities also seized narcotics including heroin, pills, and marijuana, as well as weapons and ammunition.

In recent years, thousands of refugees and migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean, with hundreds arrested in Egypt for attempting to migrate illegally.

Cairo has been working with European nations in recent years to tackle the migrant crisis.

In 2016, Egypt passed a law mandating stiff penalties for human trafficking after a migrant boat sank of the Mediterranean coast, killing around 200 people.

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