Police arrest dozens as undercover agent busts suspected arms, drug smuggling network
Police say operation marks first time Bedouin agent used for elite undercover probe; police say 4 M16s, dozens of handguns and cocaine among the contraband seized in multiple raids
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The Israel Police on Monday arrested dozens of individuals suspected of trafficking arms and dangerous drugs after an extended undercover investigation.
Authorities said the raid was made possible after a Bedouin agent working undercover for an elite police investigative body infiltrated the network, marking the first time a member of the community was employed for such a task.
The agent, nicknamed “The Nomad,” operated under the auspices of the Lahav 433 major crimes unit for an extended period, gathering evidence against the alleged smugglers before this morning’s wave of arrests.
Hundreds of officers raided locations across the country, nabbing suspects ferreted out by the agent. Many of the targets were located in southern Bedouin towns, including Rahat, Tel Sheva, and Bir Hadaj, but police also made arrests in Arad, Dimona, Eilat, and East Jerusalem.
The agent documented a significant number of arms and drug transactions, police said.
Four M16s, dozens of handguns, and half a kilogram of cocaine were among the items seized in the raids, according to police.
סוכן שהופעל ע״י להב 433 הפיל עשרות סוחרי אמל"ח ברחבי הארץ
בתום הפעלה סמויה וממושכת שנוהלה על ידי יחידת אתג״ר בלהב 433 ומחלק מפעילי הסוכנים באח״מ להב 433, נעצרו במהלך הבוקר עשרות חשודים בעבירות סחר באמצעי לחימה בלתי חוקיים וסחר בסמים.
לראשונה, בלהב 433 הופעל סוכן סמוי מתוך החברה… pic.twitter.com/3oZOaEcXNm
— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) July 13, 2026
Lahav 433 chief Manny Binyamin lauded the covert operation, saying the agent’s deployment enabled cops to “expose a vast criminal infrastructure and deal a major blow to arms and drug traffickers across the country.”
Police added that officers will bring suspects to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court later on Monday for an extension of their remand.
The exact number of individuals arrested is unclear.
The raids came amid a violent crime crisis which, according to the Abraham Initiatives crime watchdog, has killed 155 members of the Arab community since the start of the year, an 18 percent jump over the 128 deaths during the same period in 2025, which was the bloodiest year on record in the Arab community.
Killings are often the result of feuds between crime families.
The watchdog has accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees police, of gutting programs meant to curb violence in the Arab community.
His first full year in office, 2023, was at the time the bloodiest year on record in the Arab community, with the number of Arab homicide victims soaring to 244, more than double the previous year, according to the watchdog.
The numbers have since climbed, with the Abraham Initiatives reporting 252 victims in 2025.
The Times of Israel Community.