Negev Man Charged for Attempting to Smuggle Guns and Hashish via Drones from Jordan Border

The Israeli prosecution has filed two indictments against 38-year-old Taoufiq Abu Jaradud from the Bedouin village of Bir al-Hadaj in the Negev. He is accused of attempting to smuggle six handguns and drugs from Jordan using drones. According to the charges, Abu Jaradud tried to bring firearms across the border with Jordan, accompanied by another individual, paying 30,000 shekels for the weapons. An IDF unit detected the drone and prevented the import of the guns.

Several months later, Abu Jaradud attempted to export drugs from Israel to Jordan via drone near Mitzpe Ramon. This smuggling effort was disrupted due to signal interference. In a separate incident near Mitzpe Ramon, authorities found Abu Jaradud in a vehicle carrying approximately 19.8 kilograms of hashish, two drones, an additional drone used for surveillance, batteries, a remote control, and tracking devices.