French consulate driver gets 7 years for smuggling guns to Palestinians

An Israeli court sentenced a French citizen who was working as a driver for his country’s consulate in Jerusalem to seven years in prison for smuggling weapons to Palestinians.

By Associated Press

The Beersheba District Court on Monday handed French citizen Romain Franck a seven-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal based on the former consulate driver’s role in a gun-running operation delivering weapons from Gaza to Palestinians in the Judea and Samaria region.

Franck was arrested by Israeli authorities last year and charged with involvement in the Palestinian arms smuggling ring.

Four other ring members have been sentenced to up to five years each.

Franck admitted to using one of the consulate’s vehicles, which are not rigorously searched, to transport firearms through Israel’s tightly secured crossing with the Gaza Strip.

The court documents say that in exchange for smuggling the weapons, Franck received 26,000 shekels, or $7,250.

Whether or not Franck serves the sentence in France or in Israel remains to be seen.

Palestinian terrorRomain FranckSmuggling