March 9, 2021

The Chief of the General Staff presented a certificate of appreciation
to the 80th Division

Today (Tuesday), the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, presented a certificate of appreciation to the 80th Division for achievements that have led to a significant improvement in thwarting smuggling in the area, while exhibiting creativity, initiative and cooperation with other organizations. The certificate was awarded during the Chief of the General Staff's visit to the Division.

Over the past year, the 80th Division has excelled in improving its defensive capabilities along the Egyptian and Jordanian borders, adding additional defense infrastructure, including the ‘Salt Wall’ in collaboration with ICL, the establishment of a multi-organizational ops center and the development of new combat techniques.

Over the past year, the Yoav Brigade was awarded the Chief of the General Staff's Innovation Award for the "Salt Wall" project to strengthen the defense along the Jordanian border. In addition, the Paran Brigade was awarded the Chief of the General Staff's Award for Outstanding Combat Units for operations along the Egyptian Border.

Attached are statistics regarding the prevention of smuggling along the Egyptian border:

In 2020, there was a decrease of approx. 11% in the volume of drug smuggling, and a decrease of approx. 50% in the amount of drugs transferred along the Egyptian border.

The decrease in the amount of drugs transferred is due to two main reasons:

1. Increase in the number of thwarted drug smuggling attempts: In 2020, 57 thwarted drug smuggling attempts were recorded, compared with 34 thwarted drug smuggling attempts in 2019.

2. Decrease in the average amount of smuggled packages, leading to a decrease in the amount of drugs transported across the border in relative terms.

The factor influencing the decrease in smuggling volume is the faster arrival time of ground forces to the border, which has led to less time for smugglers to transfer packages, and therefore a reduction in the number of packages smuggled overall.

2019:
Average amount of drugs smuggled: 11 packages.
Average weight of drug package: est. 18 kg.
Amount of drugs smuggled per year: 70 tons.
Total estimated value: 4 billion NIS

2020:
Average amount of drugs smuggled: 5.8 packages.
Average weight of drug package: est. 18 kg.
Amount of drugs smuggled per year: 33 tons.
Total estimated value: 1.86 billion NIS, a decline of 53.3%

2021:
Number of thwarted drug smuggling attempts: 18.
Estimated value: 20,000,000 NIS