An ill wind blows no good, but the flood waters that ravaged northern Sinai early this spring causing hardships for countless Bedouins and other residents of the region had one salutary effect. According to Israeli authorities, they washed away huge quantities of narcotics that were about to flood the drug markets of the United States, Europe and Israel.
The drug in question was hashish, a staple commodity of the Middle East drug traffickers, Quantities of it–the exact amount is unknown, but police say it was huge–were hidden in northern Sinai after being smuggled from Jordan into Israel to await shipment abroad.
Israeli police have reported in addition that there has been a significant decline recently in the amount of hashish smuggled into the country. They attribute this to the tension along the borders which has resulted in tighter security measures.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
