Police Catch Gun Smugglers on Jordanian Border

Israeli security forces thwarted a gun smuggling ring on Tuesday, arresting four people suspected of bringing dozens of firearms into the country across the Jordanian border, according to media reports.

A joint operation of the IDF and the police netted 39 handguns, 10 Kalashnikov rifles and four M-16 rifles that were found inside vehicles stopped along the main highway running along Israel’s border with Jordan.

The suspects, three men and a woman in their 40s, attempted to escape in three different vehicles but were all captured after a car chase.

“Israel Defense Forces troops and troops from the Israel Police identified three suspicious vehicles a short while ago, which were caught in the area of the Route 90 highway, with weapons inside them,” the military said on Tuesday evening.

The police believe the guns were likely to have been sold to Arab Israelis, and estimated their combined value at NIS 3 million ($940,000).

Police claimed that “this confiscation is another success for the Northern District Police in finding sources of illegal weapons for the Arab community, while eliminating smuggling routes and the trade through them.”