Police thwart international cocaine smuggling ring operating in Israel

Israel Police thwarted a cocaine smuggling ring based in South America and operating in central Israel, arresting several suspects in Tira, police said Saturday.

For the past few months, the Central Unit of the police's Central District conducted a covert, international investigation focused on the smuggling of cocaine into Israel from South America. The cocaine was smuggled into Israel in 140 liters of bottles worth tens of millions of shekels.

Police found that the drugs were being hidden in one of the cities in the Triangle (an area of northern Israel including a number of Arab cities and villages) and on Saturday arrested several suspects from a village in the Galilee, Qalansawe and Tira.

Evidence and containers collected by police were transferred to forensic laboratories for continued evidence extraction. The suspects in the case will be brought for a hearing to have their arrests extended on Sunday.

Latest drug bust by the police

The bust is the latest international drug smuggling bust by Israel Police.

In January, four Israeli young women were arrested on suspicion of smuggling millions of shekels worth of cocaine and ketamine in their suitcases through Ben-Gurion Airport. The women have insisted that they don't know how the drugs entered their suitcases.