Police on Thursday morning published drone footage of a targeted operational activity that led to a raid on a hidden tent compound and the arrest of five illegal infiltrators who were hiding in the heart of Pelech Forest in northern Israel, near the community of Ahihud.
The operation was carried out in the afternoon by Border Police fighters and volunteers from the Coastal District, in close cooperation with Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors.
During the searches, and thanks to aerial observation equipment, the forces located several illegal hideouts and tents that had been set up deep inside the forest.
Inside the tents, the forces found five men, residents of the Hebron area, who were staying inside Israeli territory without legal permits or documents. The fighters immediately arrested all the suspects at the scene.
During a search of the makeshift encampment and the surrounding area, the forces located a substance suspected to be hashish. After the suspects were arrested, Nature and Parks Authority inspectors completely dismantled and removed the tents and infrastructure that had been set up in the forest.
The five suspects were transferred for further questioning at the Western Galilee police station of the Coastal District, and were later jailed. On Thursday morning, at the request of police investigators, the suspects were brought before a judge at the Akko (Acre) Magistrates Court, which accepted the request and extended their detention to allow for continued investigative activity and the filing of indictments.
Coastal District police officers and Border Police fighters will continue to act decisively against the transportation, lodging, and employment of illegal infiltrators, who may pose a security and criminal risk to the public," police stated.