Israeli prosecutors filed serious indictments Sunday against six Bedouins suspected of involvement in a series of smuggling operations that brought weapons, drugs and cigarettes across the Jordanian and Egyptian borders—in part using drones. According to the indictments, the smuggling operations brought dozens of weapons into Israel, including machine guns, rifles and pistols, some of which were later sold for tens of thousands of shekels.
Prosecutors said that in recent years, and especially since 2024, there has been a significant increase in weapons smuggling across the Jordanian and Egyptian borders using drones. They warned that flooding Israel with illegal weapons poses a real danger to public security and the state, making it easier for criminal and nationalist elements to obtain firearms and carry out crimes and terror attacks.
The indictments show the defendants were involved in numerous smuggling operations. In one case, two pistols were sold for ₪40,000. In another, a MAG machine gun was sold for tens of thousands of shekels.
In addition, one indictment alleges that about 10 kilograms of hashish were smuggled from Egypt to Israel via drone and later sold for tens of thousands of shekels. In another case, drugs that arrived from Egypt were transferred from Israel to Jordan using a drone.
The indictments also reveal that one defendant traveled to Jordan several times and returned to Israel with pistols hidden in the vehicle’s wheels. According to the charges, the weapons were transferred to others in exchange for tens of thousands of shekels.
In detention requests, prosecutors noted that the defendants acted repeatedly to smuggle weapons and drugs, thereby posing a real danger to public security and the state’s residents.
A separate indictment was filed in magistrate’s court against Mohammed Abu Laqima, 22, from Segev Shalom, on drug charges after he was allegedly involved in an attempted smuggling operation from Jordan to Israel using a drone. According to prosecutors, Abu Laqima was told the operation involved drug smuggling, though it actually also involved weapons.
Several weeks ago, authorities announced the exposure of a broad weapons smuggling infrastructure from the Jordanian border following an investigation that began with the identification and interception of a drone loaded with pistols crossing the border. The incident, which began several months ago, revealed a sophisticated method of using unmanned aircraft to introduce weapons into Israeli territory, exploiting gaps in the Jordanian border to arm terror in Judea and Samaria.
During the operation, five suspects were arrested, including four Bedouins from the Negev: Wahel al-Tzaraya, Madyan al-Tzaraya, Zaid Abu Goyad and Ali al-Saraya. Alongside them, Natzar Nagada from Yatta in Judea and Samaria was arrested, suspected of being the link for distributing the weapons in the area. Two of the suspects were caught in real time during a failed smuggling attempt with ten Glock 17 pistols and matching magazines in their possession on their way to their destination.