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Police seize underground drug lab in Negev worth over NIS 1 million. – Crime in Israel

Police seized drugs estimated to be worth over NIS 1 million after discovering an underground drug laboratory estimated to be worth $1.5 million in a tunnel near the Bedouin towns of Arad in the Negev, police reported Tuesday morning.

The underground drug lab was discovered over the weekend by officials from the Arad station with the assistance of border police. According to the report, the tunnel in which the lab was located was built for the production and cultivation of cannabis, a drug considered dangerous in Israel and requiring medical authorization for use.

The lab, which housed over 600 plants weighing about 140 kilograms, was equipped with a large amount of equipment and was intended for public distribution, police noted. The discovery of the $1 million drug lab was part of ongoing efforts to combat violence and serious crime targeting crime families as part of a nationwide operation called Emergency Stop, police said.

The operation involves increased police action against criminals targeting the economic infrastructure and perpetrators. It is led by Police Commissioner Dani Levi. In addition, the operation aims to identify, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, continuously reducing crime in the region while strengthening the sense of security of law-abiding citizens.

The police therefore stressed that additional investigative measures would be taken to find and arrest the suspects involved in the planting and cultivation of the illegal cannabis found in the Negev.

On September 3, 2024, Israeli police seized 1.5 kg of a substance suspected to be cannabis for sale and distribution from a house in Nahariya. (Source: POLICE SPOKESMANSHIP UNIT)

Police had previously reported that police officers from the Southern District arrested a suspect with an M16 rifle as part of the operation while searching the streets of Rahat city for reports of gunfire in the area. Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was a resident of the city.

During Operation Emergency Stop, suspects were arrested and gold bars were confiscated

Also as part of the nationwide Emergency Stop operation, police in Rahat found and confiscated gold bars and jewelry worth NIS 1 million, suspected to be linked to money laundering. In addition, nearly 100 traffic tickets were issued to residents of Rahat, police reported. The aim is to ensure the safety of road users and increase their sense of security.

Police also announced that since the operation began on the first Tuesday in August, 268 items of dangerous combat equipment had been seized, more than 1,200 searches had taken place and more than 1,500 arrests had been made, including on suspicion of violence and illegal possession of weapons and drugs.

Nearly 200 different firearms, including ten improvised rifles, as well as about 80 grenades, over NIS 10.5 million and another half a million dinars, used in several Muslim countries in the Middle East, were seized.

In addition, police announced on Thursday that they had arrested a crime syndicate in the Beersheba area. According to police, the crime syndicate was responsible for several break-ins at various stores and the theft of several vehicles in Beersheba.

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During the raid in Umm Batin where the crime syndicate was arrested, police found several vehicles used by the syndicate members in burglaries and thefts, as well as fake car registration documents. In addition, police forces identified and shut down two companies linked to the crime syndicate, both of which were operating without a license.

The police expressed their determination to fight crime and ensure that perpetrators are found and prosecuted in accordance with the law. They also announced that Operation Emergency Stop would continue without setting a deadline and that their main focus would be on crime in the Arab sector.



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