An IDF reservist was indicted Monday for stealing an M16 rifle from a base and selling it to a known criminal, according to a joint police and military police investigation. The probe also uncovered a drug distribution network to IDF bases run by the weapon buyer and his partner, and revealed that the reservist's brother, a major, sold his medical cannabis to one of the defendants. A separate indictment is expected against the brother.
The joint police and military police investigation into the theft of an M16 rifle from an IDF base has expanded significantly, revealing a drug distribution network that supplied narcotics to IDF bases in the north, operated by the weapon buyer and his partner. The probe also uncovered that the reservist's brother, a major in the IDF who holds a medical cannabis license, sold the cannabis prescribed to him to one of the defendants. A separate indictment against the brother is expected.
Earlier today (Mon 13:44 Jerusalem), The Zioneer reported that the reservist was accused of stealing the M16 from a fellow soldier at a base in northern Israel and selling it to Adham ben Ahmed Saadia at a gas station in a pre-planned operation. The initial indictment was filed against Saadia for receiving the stolen weapon. The new details emerged from phone analysis of the suspects, according to the police and Military Police.
As The Zioneer has reported on past cases, weapons theft from military bases remains a recurring security concern. In July, a reservist from Netivot was arrested on suspicion of trading weapons taken from Gaza or from the October 7 attacks. Earlier this month, three Israeli Arabs were charged with selling weapons to the terrorist who carried out the June 7 attack in Kokhav Ya'ir, highlighting the broader issue of illegal arms trafficking.
What remains open: The full extent of the drug network and its reach within IDF bases is still under investigation. The separate indictment against the reservist's brother, a major, has not yet been filed, and further charges may follow against other individuals involved.
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