Thorns on the way to the greenhouse, and money going to terror: The Wild West of the Negev exposed

The fight against illegal cannabis crops has become continuous and constant, and despite this, new greenhouses with dozens of seedlings appear on a daily basis. The expanses of the Negev are a convenient environment for these crops, and firing zones located in the area have become highly sought after for this purpose. The main reason is that these areas are often out of sight. The training exercises held on them do not interfere with the cannabis growing and reaching sufficient size and the ability to produce a harvest of the addictive substance, known as marijuana.

An operation to destroy greenhouses held this week was carried out in an IDF firing zone in the vicinity of Mitzpe Ramon. This is a rugged area with wadis, abounding in hills and land spurs, most of which is covered with rocks and stones. Movement in it is possible only on foot or in powerful off-road vehicles such as tractors, armored vehicles, or all-wheel-drive cars. Such vehicles were used by the forces carrying out the destruction, numbering about 70 participants, including IDF officers and soldiers, Border Police (Magav) fighters, and inspectors of the Green Patrol. The goal: the destruction of 50 to 60 such greenhouses, which were discovered, marked, and photographed in preliminary patrols conducted using a police helicopter.

A pirate greenhouse for growing cannabis seedlings is far from being a familiar habitat model used in agriculture. It is a low enclosure for isolation from the terrain, made of netting wrapped around high pegs, sometimes also with a roof made of the same netting. Inside are several hundred seedlings, standing out in bright green and arranged in rows. A drip system that passes next to each row provides the plants with running water from an elevated external tank. The grower fills the tank when it empties, while driving a cart hitched to a tractor or off-road vehicle, on which a built-in mobile tank is mounted. The water for this, he 'takes' from illegal connections to the flow systems of the Mekorot company.

"The money from the drugs also makes its way to terrorist organizations"

The team we joined during the greenhouse destruction operation was shaken severely in three vehicles with particularly high off-road capability. It included the director of the Green Patrol Ziv Birman, the director of the Southern District of the patrol Alon Tashale, the firing zone coordination officer and head of the governance section in the Southern Command Lt. Col. P., several more inspectors from the patrol, female soldiers from the Ramon base, and female Border Police officers.

On the way to the first greenhouse, it was possible to repeat the briefing for the operation's departure, which was given by the veteran Border Police officer Superintendent Shifra Buchris: "People of every team, inspectors, police officers, soldiers, will have to perform harvesting like Thai workers. This is the meaning of governance in a firing zone. Criminals grow drugs that later reach the youth. Every plant we pick is less drugs that will reach them".

Later, she warned against snakes, scorpions, or other animals living in the folds of the nets in the greenhouses. A reminder of another warning was voiced regarding the possibility of the presence of unexploded ordnance and dangerous bomb parts, which could explode upon irresponsible contact with them, and also against thorns that the growers place on the way to the greenhouse, to prevent reaching its destruction: "The money from the drugs also makes its way to terrorist organizations", she explained.

The road, if it can be called that, lasted about an hour to the first greenhouse. The travel route was completely unforgiving: rocks and stones bounced the vehicle and those sitting inside it every time. There is no possibility to exceed the speed of 10 km/h due to the terrain of stones and rocks on the ground.

Completely battered, the demolition team members arrived at the greenhouse. Getting out of the vehicle was therefore very relieving and everyone began their work. Two police officers collected samples into a special bag. The rest of the team members began, literally, to pull the plants from the ground: "It's lucky that they watered here not long ago, it's possible to take out the seedlings easily" said Lt. Col. P and one of the female soldiers added: "I never thought I would start doing agricultural work in the army".

A medium-sized greenhouse contains several hundred seedlings. By a cautious calculation, about 25,200 seedlings of various sizes were uprooted in the operation. Some of them small and some tall. The seedlings are thrown into one central pile, and onto it are also thrown the auxiliary means of cultivation: nets, plastic piping, irrigation tank, and everything that is actually inside the area. One of the inspectors poured diesel on the pile and using a burner, whose purpose is usually to sear a portion of creme brulee, he lit the pile.

Teams of inspectors and security system personnel destroyed in a period of less than three months about 300 greenhouses: "They know the area perfectly" explained Birman, speaking about the growers: "They know where it is worth placing a greenhouse and disguising it so that it will be difficult to discover it. We are assisted by the police aerial array for this purpose and with the help of a helicopter".

"It has become easier to smuggle cannabis from Egypt"

On the shaking road to the next greenhouses, it was told inside the vehicle about a variety of events related to handling the greenhouses: "The herd of camels we see belongs to a grower who is probably watching us now" said Tashale. The herd of animals ran easily on a low ridge, above the wadi where one of the 11 greenhouses that the team had to destroy was destroyed: "Where there are camels there are human beings", explained one inspector, "The residents in the diaspora settlements here are the ones who grow the cannabis. Our presence here and the demolition of these greenhouses mean one sharp and clear thing: governance!".

Black columns of smoke are seen in the yellowish space of the firing range. Evidence of the work of several more teams and even more so: this is evidence of the large number of greenhouses that are in the firing zone: "With not a large investment, even relatively small, it is possible to earn a lot of money from a greenhouse". Lt. Col. P knows the phenomenon well and the results of the destruction work: "In fact, we have been encountering fewer greenhouses lately. Maybe because it has become easier to smuggle cannabis from Egypt".

The list of greenhouses that the team was tasked to destroy is getting shorter towards noon. The water bottles that are in the vehicle are also emptying quickly. Near the end of that day's activity, the team arrived at a greenhouse that is considered large, also covered with a net roof. 25 minutes later it was already a burning pile.

The next greenhouse intended for destruction is not visible. One of the inspectors operates a small drone and discovers its remains: "This is an abandoned greenhouse" said Tashale, who demonstrated outstanding off-road driving ability. He managed, despite the endless bumps and the many, hard, and strong shakes, to return the team to the starting point and from there to the gathering of the operation's command personnel, to summarize the activity on this day.

Now Lt. Col. P can write in the monthly governance report that he transfers to the command authorities about another important action that was done for its enhancement in the field. The people of the Green Patrol and the Border Police officers also marked a highlighted checkmark on the work and they know: another operation will take place next week as well, like in all the recent weeks. Because despite the comprehensive and extensive destruction, additional greenhouses pop up every time anew.