Israeli security forces thwarted two separate drug smuggling operations near the western border. During the first operation, two suspects were arrested, and a large drone was seized in their possession that was suspected of being used to smuggle weapons and drugs across the border.
In another operation conducted separately, the forces seized an SUV containing a large quantity of substances suspected to be narcotics. The substances were allegedly intended to be smuggled. The operations took place in the areas of the Paran Brigade, as part of the fight against smuggling weapons and drugs along Israel’s western border. The two suspects and the seized findings were transferred for further investigation at the police station.
Smuggling using drones continues to expand along the Egyptian-Jordanian border. Only a few months ago, security forces thwarted a similar smuggling attempt along the western border, when they intercepted a drone carrying an automatic weapon. According to the IDF spokesperson, the incident began with early identification by the air control system, which tracked the drone from the moment it crossed Israeli territory from Egypt– identification that allowed forces to prepare on the ground and prevent the smuggling.