Smuggling

Border Police officers arrested a Jerusalem resident after finding 8,600 eggs allegedly smuggled from the West Bank without proper oversight or sanitary controls.

This comes as Europe is getting hit by what one DEA officer called “a tsunami of cocaine,” and follows an operation in which a French Navy sniper shot the engine of a high-speed smuggling vessel.

"A search uncovered a cache of weapons that included long-range missiles, guided anti-tank missiles and drones," SANA reported.

Central Arava Regional Council Head Meir Tzur pointed out the vulnerability presented by the current wire-fence setup, saying, "Any citizen can cross, they don't even have to jump."

On a tour of the Negev, I learned that the threat is not just the smuggling of weapons over Israel’s borders via drones – some of which can carry 150 kilograms of arms – but the drones themselves. 

The cigarette-filled pineapples were transported in a truck carrying a shipment purchased by an Israeli company, intended to reach the Kerem Shalom Crossing as part of humanitarian aid.

A young man returning from Poland aroused the suspicion of customs inspectors. An X-ray of the suitcase revealed about 20 rare parrots kept in five cages under harsh conditions.

At the same time, the IDF continues to operate against smuggling attempts through Israel’s eastern and western borders. 

At least 28 drones reportedly entered Gaza in recent months, raising concerns they reached Hamas, despite the IDF thwarting 89 drone smuggling attempts since January, according to Army Radio.

The two are expected to be charged under the new offense of violating the state's sovereignty at the borders, an offense never before used in the Southern District.