An Israeli civilian providing services to the IDF at military positions inside the Gaza Strip has been charged after allegedly transporting tens of kilograms of drugs through the area and being caught on the Philadelphi Corridor.
The defendant, 25-year-old Mohannad Abu Yahya of Rahat, was indicted Friday by the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office at the Be'er Sheva District Court.
(Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
According to the indictment, Abu Yahya was found with about 40 kilograms of hashish and tens of thousands of Captagon pills weighing roughly 11 kilograms. Police investigators also seized 98 new cellphones from him, although the devices were not included in the indictment.
Abu Yahya was arrested by investigators from the police Central Unit at the end of July on suspicion of trafficking and transporting drugs into Gaza.
“He was observed by security forces behaving suspiciously,” a Central Unit representative said during a remand hearing. “When they approached him, he was caught red-handed carrying out a smuggling operation involving various types of drugs in very large quantities, as well as mobile phones.”
The representative said investigators suspected the smuggling route involved Gaza, Egypt and Israel.
According to prosecutors, Abu Yahya left the IDF position where he had been working in the so-called Yellow Zone without authorization or a security escort and drove toward the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza.
He allegedly loaded jerrycans that had been left at the roadside into his vehicle, with the drugs concealed inside them. Soldiers later spotted him traveling from Israeli-controlled territory into Gaza and behaving suspiciously.
During the drive, prosecutors say, Abu Yahya stopped and threw one of the jerrycans to the side of the road. A military force that arrived at the scene then detained him.
Despite the initial suspicion of trafficking, prosecutors charged him only with possession of dangerous drugs not intended for personal use, saying they had not gathered enough evidence to prove drug trafficking inside Gaza.
During questioning, Abu Yahya claimed he had picked up the jerrycans because he thought they contained diesel fuel. He said he later stopped to drink water and panicked when an IDF force arrived and fired into the air, causing him to throw one of the containers aside.
The prosecution has asked the court to keep him in custody until the end of the proceedings.
In its detention request, prosecutor Wasim Abu Amer wrote that the alleged conduct indicated involvement in the criminal world because of Abu Yahya’s access to such large quantities of different drugs.
“The audacity involved in committing drug offenses in a combat zone, while exploiting his status and access to the area, increases the danger he poses,” the prosecution said.