Israel Police say four residents of the villages of Deir al-Assad and Majdal Krum in northern Israel were indicted in Haifa District Court on Thursday on charges of arms trafficking.
Police said an undercover officer infiltrated a gang of traffickers and bought a number of weapons in the northern district, according to court papers.
The undercover officer bought a homemade Carlo Gustav assault rifle from members of the gang during a July 28 meeting in the village of Majdal Krum for NIS 10,000, according to a statement by police. In a second statement, the agent said he contacted members of the gang and met in the same village on August 12 to buy another Carlo weapon for NIS 10,000.
In 2017, Israel Police said “thousands of weapons” were seized in raids. This year, 2,225 suspects have been arrested throughout Israel and 1,137 indictments filed against suspects for weapons offenses.
During the first half of this year there has been a 40 percent increase in the number of arrests, and a 75 percent increase in the number of indictments filed against those involved in shooting incidents, compared to the same period last year, police said.