Soldier sentenced to prison (Archive Photo)
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Office
Soldier jailed for selling M-16
Soldier steals rifle from base, sells it to Palestinian for NIS 7,000 (USD 1,556); judge gives soldier four years in prison
TEL AVIV - An IDF Central Command court sentenced an army cook to four years in prison for stealing and selling an M-16 rifle to a Palestinian.
The soldier was also found guilty for use of hashish and ecstasy tablets.
According to the indictment sheet, the soldier recommended to a friend in January 2005 that the two steal a weapon and sell it.
He talked with a potential Palestinian buyer, who was staying illegally in Jaffa, and worked out a deal.
The soldier and his friend entered the room of a soldier on the base and took his M-16. They then dismantled it, so they could smugle it out in two separate bags.
Afterwards, they met up with the Palestinian, who promised them NIS 7,000 (USD 1,556), but only delivered NIS 5,600 (USD 1,244).
'A serious crime'
The judges, led by Lt. Col. Rachel Tevet Weisel, denounced the crime as a serious one.
"Under these circumstances, the weapon could have ended up in criminal and terrorist hands," the judges said.
In addition to his regular sentence, the soldier also got an additional year of probation and would lose his driver's license for six months after finishing his military service.
The second soldier's court case has not yet ended.
