Israel thwarts smuggling near Jordanian border; confiscates weapons, drugs

Security forces located 34 pistols, a sniper rifle, two assault rifles, ammunition of various types and a number of packages filled with drugs valued at about NIS 800,000.

By Gil Tanenbaum, TPS

It was revealed for the first time on Thursday that last Friday morning, security forces located in an observation point along the border area with Jordan identified an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israeli territory in the area of the Yoav Regional Brigade.

Units of the IDF and Israeli police confiscated 37 different weapons and an estimated NIS 2.5 million worth of illegal drugs.

This is yet another example of Israel’s security services either frustrating an attempt to smuggle weapons into the country or uncovering and confiscating a cache of such weapons. Earlier this week, police announced that an undercover operation exposed 42 people suspected of trafficking weapons and drugs, which led to the seizure of a number of weapons.

Such illegal arms are intended for use by both terrorists and criminals in Israel. The increased interdiction is the result of both a national campaign to reduce violent crime in Israel’s Arab communities as well as augmented efforts on the part of the IDF to block terrorist activities.

In this instance, IDF forces and the Israeli police rushed to the spot where the smugglers were detected and deployed roadblocks in the area. They stopped a vehicle and detained two Israeli civilians suspected of smuggling.

After an extensive search of the area, security forces located 34 pistols, a sniper rifle, two assault rifles, ammunition of various types and a number of packages filled with drugs valued at about NIS 800,000.

The suspects were turned over to the police for investigation and the weapons, ammunition and drugs were also taken by the police for disposal.