An IDF reservist in his 30s from Tel Sheva has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling a large quantity of captagon into the Gaza Strip, after about 10 kilograms of the drug were found in his possession inside an IDF patrol vehicle in the Strip.
The arrest was carried out in a joint operation by the Israel Police, the Shin Bet and the IDF, following intelligence that pointed to the suspect’s possible involvement in smuggling drugs into Gaza. Officers from the Southern District’s Negev Central Unit (Yamar) worked with the Shin Bet and the IDF to stop the operation.
During the operation, forces located the suspect in the patrol vehicle, and a search turned up a bag containing the drugs. He was taken, along with the evidence, to the Negev Central Unit for questioning.
On Tuesday, the suspect was brought before the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court, which granted a police request to extend his detention until Thursday, October 29, to allow the investigation to continue.
The arrest is part of an ongoing effort by Israeli security forces to stop the smuggling of drugs and weapons into the Gaza Strip. In recent months, authorities have uncovered significant smuggling networks along Israel’s southern border. Dozens of weapons and large quantities of drugs were smuggled across the Egyptian and Jordanian borders between 2024 and 2026.
In an earlier joint operation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police’s Southern Central Unit, six Negev residents were arrested on suspicion of smuggling weapons and drugs into Israel. According to the investigation, they brought in dozens of pistols, dozens of M16 rifles, three machine guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and large quantities of hashish.
