The Central Investigations Unit (YAMAR) of the Negev Sub-District in the Southern District, in cooperation with the Border Police National Guard, operated undercover agents who led to the incrimination of dozens of suspects involved in the trafficking and possession of illegal weapons.
This morning, National Guard Border Police, together with Southern District officers, conducted a large-scale raid on the suspects’ homes and carried out their arrests.
As part of the ongoing and determined campaign led by the Southern District of the Israel Police, under the command of Southern District Commander Chaim Bublil, against generators of crime in the field of illegal weapons, and in line with the policy set by Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy to combat serious crime, the Negev Central Investigations Unit conducted a wide-scale covert investigation over the past year.
During the operation, undercover agents were embedded within criminal networks operating in the southern region and within the Bedouin sector. The agents operated under criminal cover identities, gained the trust of key criminal figures, and gathered evidence against dozens of suspects, including major police targets.
The agents carried out dozens of supervised and controlled weapons transactions, supported by a comprehensive operational and intelligence framework.
As part of the operation, the agents purchased, among other items:
* 13 M-16 rifles
* 11 Glock pistols and magazines
The total value of the seized weapons is estimated at over 1,000,000 NIS.
In the early morning hours, as the investigation moved to its overt phase, National Guard Border Police, together with Southern District officers, Unit 33, the Air Unit, and additional supporting forces, carried out raids on suspects’ homes in Rahat, Hura, Lakiya, and surrounding areas, leading to their arrests.
The suspects were detained and transferred for questioning at the Negev Central Investigations Unit. Later today, they will be brought before the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court for a hearing on the extension of their detention, in accordance with investigative needs.