Israeli security forces on Sunday foiled an attempt to smuggle narcotics into Israel from Egypt, seizing 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of drugs worth an estimated 4 million shekels ($1.2 million), the IDF said in a statement.
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IDF spotters had observed "a number of suspects" attempting to move the narcotics across the border into Israeli territory, and alerted a separate mobile force to the area, the statement said. The drugs were transferred to the Israel Police, the army said.
The operation was the latest example of "ongoing efforts by the IDF and Israeli security forces to thwart drug smuggling attempts along the Egyptian border," the military said.
Once largely the domain of the police, the IDF has increasingly become involved in such operations in recent years, due to concerns that terrorists could learn from drug smugglers who prove capable of infiltrating the border.
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The IDF is also active in thwarting drug smuggling attempts from Lebanon. On March 20, the IDF announced that together with police and other forces, two Arab Israelis suspected of being affiliated with Hezbollah and smuggling drugs were apprehended.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
