Police uncovers underground cannabis cultivation tunnel worth over NIS 1 million

Police seized drugs with an estimated value of over one million NIS after uncovering an underground drug lab with an estimated value inside a tunnel near the Arad Bedouin towns in the Negev, the police reported on Tuesday morning.

The underground drug lab was uncovered over the weekend by officers from the Arad station, with the assistance of Border Police officers. According to the report, the tunnel containing the lab was built for the production and cultivation of cannabis, a drug considered dangerous in Israel, and requires medical permits to use.

Housing over 600 plants weighing approximately 140 kilograms, the lab was equipped with a large amount of equipment and was intended for public distribution, the police noted. The discovery of the one million-worth drug lab was part of ongoing efforts against violence and serious crime, targeting crime families, in a nationwide operation called “Emergency Halt,” the police explained.

The operation involves enhanced police action against criminals, targeting economic infrastructure and crime instigators, and is directed by Police Commissioner Dani Levi. Additionally, the operation aims to identify and arrest the crime instigators, prosecute them, and continuously reduce crime in the area while strengthening law-abiding citizen’s sense of security.

As such, the police stressed that additional investigative actions would be taken to locate and arrest the suspects involved in the growing and cultivation of the underground cannabis found in the Negev.

Previously the police reported that as part of the operation, Southern District police officers arrested a suspect in possession of an M16 rifle while scanning the streets of the city of Rahat following reports of gunshots in the area. During the initial investigation, it was discovered that the suspect was a resident of the city.

Suspects arrested and gold bars confiscated in operation 'Emergency Halt'

Also part of the nationwide operation “Emergency Halt,” police in Rahat found and confiscated gold bars and jewelry worth one million NIS which are believed to be linked to money laundering. Additionally, nearly 100 traffic tickets were handed to residents in Rahat, the police reported, explaining the objective was to ensure the safety of road farers and to increase their sense of security.

The police also announced that since the operation began on the first Tuesday of August, 268 dangerous combat equipment were confiscated, over 1,200 searches, and over 1,500 arrests were made, all of which were suspected, among other accusations, of violence, illegal arms possessions, and illegal drug possession.

Nearly 200 various firearms, including ten makeshift rifles, were seized, along with approximately 80 grenades, over 10.5 million NIS, and another half a million Dinar, which is used in several Muslim Middle Eastern countries.

Moreover, on Thursday the police also announced they had arrested a crime syndicate in the Beersheba area. According to the police, the crime syndicate was responsible for multiple break-ins into various businesses and the theft of multiple vehicles in Beersheba.

During the raid in Umm Batin in which the crime syndicate was arrested, police found multiple vehicles used by the syndicate members during break-ins and thefts and fake car licenses. Additionally, police forces identified and shut down two businesses associated with the crime syndicate, both of which operated without a license.

Expressing their commitment to combatting crime and ensuring crime instigators are found and prosecuted according to law, the police also announced that operation ‘Emergency Halt’ will continue, without setting a deadline, and that its main focus will be crime within the Arab sector.