IDF, Israel police foil NIS 50m. drug smuggling operation near Egypt

The suspects were spotted by IDF surveillance trying to smuggle 120 kilograms of drugs, worth NIS 50 million, over the Egyptian-Israeli border.

 The result of an IDF and Israel Police sting thwarting an attempt to smuggle 120 kilograms of drugs worth around NIS 50 million into Israel from Egypt, on February 5, 2023. (photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The result of an IDF and Israel Police sting thwarting an attempt to smuggle 120 kilograms of drugs worth around NIS 50 million into Israel from Egypt, on February 5, 2023.
(photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The IDF and Israel Police managed to foil an attempted drug smuggling operation over the Egyptian border worth around NIS 50 million, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said Sunday.

The sting operation took place on February 5, 2023, with the drugs and vehicle confiscated and a suspect arrested.

The suspects were spotted by IDF surveillance trying to smuggle 120 kilograms of drugs over the Egyptian border.

The suspect has been transferred to the police for interrogation.

Drug smuggling into Israel

This bust is one of several notable stings the IDF and Israel Police have carried out.

 The 120 kilograms of drugs, worth around NIS 50 million, that the IDF and Israel Police stopped from being smuggled over the Egyptian border. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The 120 kilograms of drugs, worth around NIS 50 million, that the IDF and Israel Police stopped from being smuggled over the Egyptian border. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In January, the IDF and police managed to foil several drug smuggling operations near the Egyptian border.

Some other arrests were made away from the border and instead at the airport.

Also in January, police managed to foil an attempt at smuggling 45 liters of the GBL date-rape drug into Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport.

That same month, police managed to arrest young Israeli girls who were smuggling millions of shekels worth of cocaine and ketamine in shampoo, health food and supplement packages.

Meanwhile, in Ashdod, investigators from the Ashdod seaport and Tel Aviv Customs and VAT Investigation Department at the Israeli Tax Authority revealed that they had managed to foil an attempt at smuggling 150,000 capsules of the illegal male sexual performance-enhancing drug Kamagra inside 80 barrels of pickles.


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Michael Starr contributed to this report.