Border Police special forces descended on the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj on Thursday and confiscated a large amount of contraband, including drugs, illegal firearms, and stolen property.
During the operation, officers seized two stolen IDF jeeps, assault rifles, and uncovered a greenhouse for cultivating marijuana. Police arrested three suspects and opened an official investigation.
Police carried out a separate operation later in the day near Bir Hadaj that was dedicated to enforcing traffic laws. Police impounded three vehicles and arrested four people for driving without a license.
Bir Hadaj is a known hub of criminal activity in Israel and often serves as a transit point for drugs and weapons that are smuggled in from the Sinai Desert.
In January a large gun battle broke out between Bedouin drug smugglers and police smugglers after police ambushed a shipment of narcotics coming in from Egypt. Video of the incident shows over 30 smugglers climbing over the border fence carrying hundreds of kilograms of marijuana and hashish. One suspect was killed in the incident.