Army foils attempt to smuggle weapons, weed from Jordan

Security forces thwarted an attempt to smuggle guns and drugs from Jordan into Israel on a boat that sailed across the Dead Sea overnight Monday, the army said.

Shortly after 1 a.m. IDF lookouts spotted a suspicious vessel crossing the northern area of the saltwater lake.

When the boat reached the shore two men got out and hid a sack among the bushes on the beach. Three other men emerged and joined them. As the gang was still at the site, security forces arrived and detained them.

Officials uncovered seven shotguns, six pistols, and a large quantity of marijuana. Two of the men were from Jericho and the other three from East Jerusalem. All five were taken for questioning.

The IDF suspects that the weapons were intended for terror groups operating in the West Bank.

[mappress mapid=”4848″]

The Dead Sea lies between Israel and Jordan and the border runs through the middle of the body of water.