Police arrest dozens in drug, weapons trafficking operation

Agents managed to purchase machine guns, rifles, explosives, dozens of kilos of various drugs in months-long undercover operation.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Police car in Tel Aviv at night 311 (photo credit: Yoni Cohen)
Police car in Tel Aviv at night 311
(photo credit: Yoni Cohen)
Police arrested 70 suspects Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, wrapping up a months-long undercover operation that targeted drug and weapons trafficking throughout the country. Among the suspects were convicts, a minor, three women and known ranking members of criminal organizations.
During the course of the undercover investigation, two agents - one ex-con and one police officer - conducted drug and weapons deals stretching from Eilat in the South to Nazareth in the North. The operation began while the convict, a resident of one of Israel's northern villages, was still in prison and continued after he was released.
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The two purchased machine guns, rifles, hand guns and even explosives throughout the year. The purchases also involved dozens of kilograms of various types of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, hashish and thousands of ecstasy pills.
Tuesday night, hundreds of police officers arrested the dozens of suspects in a massive coordinated raid. In addition to weapons and drug trafficking, some of the suspects stand accused of harming and making threats to the lives of police officers.
Police also seized vehicles, ATVs, jet skis, electricity generators, real estate and froze bank accounts connected to the suspects.
The suspects will be brought to courts in Acre and Haifa for remand extension hearings throughout the day, police said.