A squad of arms smugglers was apprehended on the Jordanian border last week on Thursday, 23.11. As part of the raid, about 137 weapons and 250 magazines were seized by a protective unit of the Negev region. As part of Operation Jewel in the Arava, four suspects from the Yeruham diaspora were caught smuggling the largest fence in the history of the country.
The weapon seized in Operation "Jewel in the Arava", photo: Dudu Grishpan
Today (Thursday) the weapons were displayed at the Beer Sheva station. "This is a cell whose identity was intelligence a few months ago, one that deals with smuggling on a different scale. Usually arms smuggling is on the order of 30-20 weapons. Here it's something different and was done after identifying intelligence and preparations they made on the ground," said Lieutenant Colonel Ronen Kalfon, commander of the Magen unit.
"With the cooperation of the IDF and the intelligence unit from the 80th Division, we identified the squad going down to the settlement of Tzofar at night and began the smuggling process. The undercover unit of the Southern Border Police caught them, trying to flee but were arrested after a short chase. Among those arrested was the head of the network near Sapir, who managed the smuggling remotely," he added.
The undercover unit of the Southern Border Police, photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Office
Among the pistols seized were hundreds of Glocks, but the most interesting find were the Azerbaijani-made pistols, which may hint at a smuggling route for those guns. Through Iran, Syria and Jordan.
Alongside the increased ongoing security activity, and providing a response to all incidents within the province, Southern District Commander Amir Cohen ordered the continuation of focused operational activities as part of the determined struggle waged by the Southern District against the phenomena of crime and the possession of illegal weapons.
The weapon seized in Operation Jewel in the Arava, photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Office
"We are operating on all fronts and in all arenas, we do not stop for a moment both in the fighting and in the face of weapons smuggling, which are an inseparable part of our fighting," said Southern District Commander Cohen.
The activity is carried out by all intelligence and technological means in cooperation with IDF forces and other security elements.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us