Major drug bust on Egyptian border nets 300 kg of marijuana, hashish

Israeli troops foiled an attempt to smuggle nearly $2 million worth of drugs into the country from Egypt on Wednesday evening, the military said.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras spotted the drug smuggling attempt and dispatched troops to the scene.

Suspects from the Egyptian side tossed the drugs over the fence, apparently for accomplices on the Israeli side to later pick them up.

Troops seized more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of marijuana and hashish, estimated to be worth NIS 6 million ($1.8 million), according to the IDF. No arrests were made.

Israel says Egyptian smugglers operate by tossing contraband over the border to Israelis, who then sell the drugs in Israel. The smugglers mostly traffic in marijuana from grow houses in the Sinai Peninsula, but sometimes harder drugs like heroin are smuggled as well.

Though the IDF is tasked with preventing smuggling along the Israeli-Egyptian border, the military typically strives to avoid direct confrontation with Israeli drug smugglers, leaving that to the police.

Several deadly encounters between Israeli troops and drug smugglers occurred last year.