ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian police on Saturday disclosed that it has seized some 180 illegal handguns when they were being smuggled into Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.

According to the Addis Ababa Police Commission, the armaments were intercepted in Addis Ababa, in a joint operation among police and the national inelegance unit, while the armaments were being transported into the capital packed inside a mini-bus.

Police's capture of the handguns on Saturday came amid an increase in smuggling and transaction of armaments in the east African country.

The Ethiopian Federal Police Commission, however, did not give further details regarding the identity of the latest handguns smugglers as well as their intention.

Police had also recently stressed that armaments are illegally smuggled into the country, which is said to create a widespread impact on the country's peace and security situations.

The commission had recently arrested more than 18 suspects in connection with smuggling of armaments into the country. Some of them were also said to be involved in illicit foreign currency outflow.

Police over the last week alone had announced multiple seizures of millions U.S. dollars that was illegally smuggled out of Ethiopia including at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's major international flights hub.