Jerusalem Prosecutors Indict 19 Suspects in Major Arms and Drug Sting
Jerusalem prosecutors filed nine indictments against 19 defendants following an undercover police operation targeting severe weapons and drug trafficking networks across the capital.
The State Attorney's Office has filed nine indictments against 19 defendants in the Jerusalem District Court on severe charges of weapons and drug trafficking, following an extensive undercover operation by the Jerusalem District Central Unit utilizing a police operative.
The indictments reveal a concerning scope of illicit arms trafficking, including the sale of handguns and assault rifles for tens of thousands of shekels, field test firings to check weapon functionality, and attempts to establish permanent distribution networks. Concurrently, prosecutors requested that the court remand the defendants in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings.
According to the charges filed by Adv. Mirit Levy Hasson from the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office, the undercover operative spent six months between February and July 2026 embedding himself among suspects he knew from prior social ties, shared employment, or neighborhood residency. The defendants offered various weapons, sent photos and videos of the arsenal, negotiated prices, and coordinated covert meetings for the transactions.
Bold Operations and Field Tests
The indictments expose unusual audacity among the traffickers. In one instance involving defendant Jihad Jaabari, upon learning that the operative's home was up for sale, he offered to purchase the property in exchange for weapons, though the operative declined. Jaabari later sold the operative a Glock pistol for 30,000 shekels and proposed establishing a joint arms-smuggling venture, routing weapons from Jericho for the operative to resell.
Another chapter details an arms deal in the Silwan neighborhood involving Ali Shawish, Mahmoud Abbasi, Saad Abbasi, and Mohammad Rawadi. The traffickers retrieved a pistol buried underground, sprayed it with a special anti-rust solution, and test-fired it. In another transaction, a lookout checked the perimeter for police presence before greenlighting the test fire. In a separate case involving Majed, Atallah, and Omar Jaber, a defendant asked the operative to conduct a test fire while hiding behind a parked bus to evade local police security cameras.
Everyday Connections and Active Marketing
Relationships facilitating the deals often originated in mundane settings. The indictment against Ahmed Thabet, Mohammad Abu Safa, and Mohammad Alkam notes that the operative met two of the defendants while working alongside them for two years at a supermarket butcher shop. Capitalizing on this familiarity, the operative acquired a Glock pistol for 37,000 shekels.
Active marketing tactics were also prevalent. Meeting with defendants Ahmed, Malek, and Mohammad Tawil, one produced a black suitcase containing two handguns—a Glock and a SIG Sauer—allowing the operative to choose. The operative selected the SIG Sauer, and a test fire was conducted for the Glock during a deal finalized at approximately 31,500 shekels.
Another defendant, Mahmoud Sidawi, boasted of possessing 40 handguns, displayed four at a compound in Ba'er Ram, and offered them at 34,000 shekels each, discounting prices to foster ongoing business ties. In other transactions, such as one involving Yasser Abu Nijmeh and Mohammad Dandis, an M16-style assault rifle was sold for 65,000 shekels, while Jihad Jaabari and Mohammad Hajj Mahmoud sold a Taurus pistol with two magazines for 28,000 shekels.
Drug Trafficking Charges
Alongside the weapons cases, the operation yielded a drug indictment against Iyad Musrati from Ramla. Musrati offered commercial quantities of MDMA ecstasy pills, provided samples, and subsequently sold 1,046 tablets for 17,500 shekels, while arranging a subsequent purchase of 2,000 additional pills for 34,000 shekels. The investigation was jointly conducted by the Special Tasks Division and the Undercover Agents Division of the Jerusalem District Central Unit, accompanied closely by the prosecution.
