Heroin (archive photo)
Photo: Michael Kramer
Infiltrators cross Dead Sea with 14 kg of heroin
Palestinian, Israeli Bedouin caught by IDF troops in Jordan Valley community after infiltrating country from Jordan with drugs, Kalashnikov rifles
Two infiltrators were caught early Monday after crossing the Dead Sea from Jordan by boat with 14 kilos (about 31 pounds) of heroin, two Kalashnikov rifles and cartridges.
The two were apprehended in the groves of the Avnat community in the Jordan Valley; police believe the smuggling attempt was criminally-motivated.
At around midnight IDF reserve soldiers spotted a rubber boat in the Dead Sea, and five hours later they identified two people coming ashore carrying two bags. The troops proceeded to chase after the suspects with the help of trackers, and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene.
A short while later the two were tracked down in the groves of the Avnat community in the Jordan Valley; the soldiers fired warning shots into the air, and the two infiltrators, an Israeli Bedouin and a Palestinian, gave themselves up without resistance. The infiltrators then led the soldiers to the spot where the two bags were placed.
Security forces detained the infiltrators and took them in for questioning; it is estimated that the weapons in their possession were not meant to be used against IDF soldiers.
