Israel Reveals Biggest Illegal Arms Trade: Seizes Dozens Of Rifles, Dozens Of Pistols To Machine Guns

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reviews the seized weapons. (Source: Chaim Tzach/Government Press Office0

JAKARTA - Israeli police have made the largest single arrest of an illegal arms dealer in history, after carrying out a year-long covert operation, Israeli police said Tuesday.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 40 rifles, 13 pistols, two machine guns and two explosives linked to cell phones. A total of 65 suspects from 25 different regions across Israel were arrested, among them a father and his three sons who run the family's arms trade business.

Not only that, the implementation of the covert operation this time involved around 1.000 police officers, including from the special forces and the Border Police.

The operation, dubbed Operation Ocean, was made possible through the use of a secret agent who was previously a criminal. The operator was recruited by police in August 2020 and began his duties in November, police said.

The operator itself made 48 purchases of different weapons, including 25 AR15-type rifles, one MAG machine gun, seven Kalashnikov-type rifles, and 13 high-quality handguns.

"We are fighting a war to protect the daily lives of all the citizens of this country," said Shimon Lavi, Assistant Chief of the Northern District of Israel's OC Police in a statement soon after the operation came to light, citing The Jerusalem Post November 10.

"This is a war against the intrusion of criminal elements who try and succeed in obtaining public funds. This is a war against extortion against business owners."

He further warned that many criminal organizations in the Arab sector are trying to take an important role in Israel's economic activities, which could result in them making huge sums of money and they will become even more powerful if not stopped.

"Crime doesn't have to pay. And we must continue to act stronger," he stressed.

The operation came a month after the first meeting of the new Ministerial Task Force on Combating Crime and Violence in Arab Society, where Prime Minister Naftali Bennett approved a plan drawn up by the task force leader, a 30-year police veteran and Deputy Minister of Public Security Yoav Segalovitz, who strongly emphasizes firm action against illegal weapons.

Prime Minister Bennett, Minister of Public Security Omer Bar Lev, and Segalovitz visited the Tel Aviv District police headquarters on Tuesday evening. They examined evidence of firearms captured in the operation.

"We are declaring war on lawlessness in the Arab community, no less. Over the years, the Middle East's largest arsenal of illegal weapons has grown, and this is what we are starting to dismantle," said PM Bennett.

"To the Arab citizens of Israel, I want to say, you deserve personal safety. And to the lawbreakers in the Arab community who are terrorizing Jews and Arabs, we will not surrender. We are watching you, and we will hunt down every last weapon and every criminal. that threatens public order. You will be held accountable, we will sue you and you will pay," warned PM Bennett.

Meanwhile, Bar Lev speaking after PM Bennett added that he was not carried away by the success of the operation, as it was only the beginning of a long process. Giving Israeli Arabs the knowledge that the police are fighting for their safety is just as important as the arrest and confiscation of weapons, he added.

Police Commissioner Yaakov (Kobi) Shabtai said the operation was part of a series of actions against illegal arms traffickers. He said police had made 16 gun arrests and had arrested 521 gun dealers since the operation began.

Shabtai added that the number of cases related to the arms trade had quadrupled, and about 800 million NIS of illegal funds had been allocated as part of the policy for 'going after money'.

While Lavi, who led the operation, repeated his mantra: "Don't target the flies, drain the swamp," stressing that the lack of personal safety in the Arab sector is a national problem, and therefore the root cause of the problem needs to be treated as well. criminals will not stop, therefore, in addition to arrests, there need to be tougher penalties and further measures to prevent arms leaks from the West Bank, thereby choking a key supply source.