IDF trackers suspected of smuggling drugs
Seven soldiers arrested at end of investigation in which large quantities of drugs confiscated under suspicion of smuggling narcotics
Drug smuggling in the IDF: Seven soldiers, including two non-commissioned officers, were arrested on Tuesday under the suspicion of being engaged in narcotics smuggling while wearing IDF uniform.
The men were arrested after an intensive investigation by Military Police that included wiretapping and physically trailing the suspects.
The majority of the servicemen serve as trackers in the Jordan Rift Valley and Arava desert near the border with Jordan. It seems the suspects used their status as military men in order to facilitate the smuggling of the drugs across the border.
During the investigation, police found 53 lbs of hashish, 3.3 lbs of heroin and 500 ecstasy tablets. It is not clear if police have tied the men to other criminal activity.
On Wednesday, the Military Advocate General is expected to request that the men's remand be extended in the Jaffa Military Court. Additionally, IDF prosecutors are set to reveal for the first time some of the evidence that has been accumulated against the suspects.
A military official said that this particular case represents one of the biggest cases of IDF involvement in the drug trade. "We put in a lot of resources in order to carry this investigation out and gather the evidence. The suspicions against the soldiers are weighty," the official said.
The IDF noted that this case proves that the military is making an effort to combat drug smuggling by men and women in its ranks. "It is never pleasant to deal with serious crimes (committed) by soldiers, but the IDF is obligated to defend the majority of soldiers that serve in it ranks and to condemn those within it that blatantly break the law," a senior military official said.
In the last few years, Military Police have had to deal with several instances of IDF involvement in the drug trade. Last year, six soldiers who served on the Israel-Egypt border were arrested for suspicion of being involved in the sale of hard drugs and weapons in the area.
