Iraqi-Made DDG Pistols Flood Israeli Underworld Amid Smuggling Surge
Iraqi-made DDG 9mm pistols, illicit replicas of Israeli firearms smuggled through Jordan, are flooding criminal organizations in Haifa and northern Israel, selling for just $500.
A cheap 9mm pistol manufactured by underground workshops in Iraqi Kurdistan is flooding the Israeli underworld, smuggled through Jordan and Syria into areas including Haifa, the Krayot, and the Sharon region. Known as the DDG (Delta Defence Group), these unlicensed firearms are gaining immense popularity among criminal organizations due to their remarkably low price of around $500 on the black market, a fraction of the cost of standard Glock or other conventional handguns.
Investigations reveal that the weapon is actually an illicit replica of an Israeli-designed pistol, produced without serial numbers to obscure its origins in northern Iraq. The weapons are funneled through Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan before crossing the Jordanian border into Israel. Holding nine rounds in a single magazine, the DDG has become a weapon of choice for contract killers and criminal syndicates who prize its deadliness at short ranges and its disposability.
Israeli law enforcement has registered a concerning surge in the proliferation of these weapons. Police recently intercepted nearly a dozen DDG pistols in the possession of local criminals, alongside larger smuggled shipments seized along the eastern border. Authorities note that the underground manufacturers in Iraqi Kurdistan also replicate other popular Western firearm designs to supply regional illicit markets.
