17 from Jerusalem, Lod, West Bank indicted for gun trafficking

Seventeen residents of Jerusalem, Lod and the West Bank were indicted for illegal weapons trafficking on Monday after a year of undercover work by a police agent.

The suspects, aged 20-30 years old, made almost 30 illegal arms deals with the undercover agent. Some of them were acquaintances of the agent.

Charges against the suspects included arms trafficking and assisting arms trafficking, criminal conspiracy and residing in Israel illegally. The prosecution requested from the court that the suspects remain imprisoned until the end of the legal proceedings.

What did the arms dealers try to sell?

The arms dealers attempted to sell various types of pistols and long guns, as well as stun and smoke grenades. Many of the deals ranged from NIS 20,000 to 40,000 for a weapon and ammunition. 

Many of the deals were organized in Jerusalem through a third party, and a contact would direct the agent to a village within the West Bank. The agent would often discharge the firearms to test their function. Some of the dealers were residing or had entered Israel illegally.

"The operations of the police agent and the accompaniment of the investigation by the State Attorney's Office are part of the expansion of the fight against the phenomenon of illegal weapons and the danger associated with them," said the State Attorney's Office. "The actions of the defendants testify to their dangerousness and daring, and we are sure that the agent's activities thwarted further transactions and the illegal use of weapons."

A bill to expand and increase powers to combat the proliferation of illegal firearms in the Arab sector was passed into law last Tuesday. The temporary law would allow police to search houses for illegal weapons without a judge’s order or approval of a police superintendent and establish a five-year prison sentence for possession of illegal weapons.