Police raid (archive)
Police raid (archive)Police spokesperson

Israel Police uncovered a massive criminal network involved in the smuggling of guns, drugs, and stolen goods, between the Palestinian Authority and pre-1967 Israel, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

Some 100 suspects have been identified in the criminal network, which bought and sold illegal goods – including automatic weapons – inside Israel and Palestinian Authority-controlled territory.

The suspects include both residents of the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli citizens.

Fifty-four suspects have been arrested and four illegal firearms seized.

During raids undertaken following the discovery of the network, police also seized cash and controlled substances.

According to a police spokesperson, the raids were the culmination of a year-long undercover sting operation led by a police agent who operated in Palestinian Authority-controlled territory.

“The agent carried out the operations inside the Palestinian area A in joint coordination with the IDF and police units,” the spokesperson said. Area A is under full PA security and civil administration.

“The police agent involved in the undercover operations bought 20 weapons and different types of arms, ammunition, parts of weapons that are used, an M-16 and a Carl Gustav [submachine gun] that were used for terrorist activity and criminal purposes.”

“The agent brought in concrete evidence of the illegal activities carried out by the suspects that he gathered from both Palestinian and Israeli sources.”