US embassy cable - 05TELAVIV5575

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 005575 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, PREL, PTER, EFIN, ISRAELI SOCIETY, GOI INTERNAL, ECONOMY AND FINANCE 
SUBJECT: ORGANIZED CRIME AND NARCOTICS TRADE IN ISRAEL 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:  According to an Israeli law enforcement 
official, all categories of criminal activity are on the 
rise.  The illegal drug trade, organized crime, murder, and 
extortion present major challenges to the Israeli police. 
While countries in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and South 
America provide a springboard for criminal elements to move 
illegal drugs into Israel, the trans-border Bedouin 
cooperation causes serious concern.  The official remarked on 
the unusual nature of Arab-Jewish cooperation in illegal 
activities such as drug and weapons smuggling and the 
trafficking of women.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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INP Organization and Mission 
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2. (U) On September 1, Chief Superintendent Chaim Eliyahu of 
the Israel National Police's (INP's) Drug and Organized Crime 
Unit gave a presentation to embassy officials on his unit's 
organization and mission.  Eliyahu said the INP falls under 
one command and is divided into six districts: Tel Aviv, 
Jerusalem, southern, northern, central, and West Bank, which 
falls under joint-jurisdiction with the Israel Defense Forces 
(IDF).  He said each district has a different mission, noting 
that police officials in Jerusalem focus on crimes related to 
religious extremism, while those in Tel Aviv focus on other 
criminal activities like larceny, murder, illegal drugs and 
organized crime. 
 
3. (U) Eliyahu said different waves of immigrants to Israel 
have brought with them criminal elements, such as immigrants 
from the former Soviet Union who commit crimes not seen in 
the past.  He said that violent crimes and alcohol-related 
crimes, once negligible in number, are now becoming 
prevalent.  He also discussed money laundering and the new 
laws in this area that have helped Israel prosecute many 
offenders.  He explained that in the past an individual could 
deposit or invest a considerable amount of money without 
being investigated; such transactions are now closely 
scrutinized by the GOI. 
 
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Eliyahu: Drugs Flow From the Land the Sea and the Air 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
4. (U) Eliyahu said that the porous borders with Egypt, 
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria allow for the easy flow of hashish, 
marijuana, cocaine, and heroin into Israel.  One kilogram of 
marijuana sells for NIS 1,000 (USD 222) in the vicinity of 
the border regions, while the same amount would cost 3,000 to 
5,000 NIS (USD 666 to 1111) in Tel Aviv.  He stated that the 
police seize 15 tons of illegal drugs a year, which is only 
about five percent of all illegal drugs that enter Israel. 
(Note:  On August 29 at the Jordanian border, police 
confiscated 30 kilograms of pure heroin - about 300,000 doses 
- with an estimated worth of NIS 3.5 million.  The report 
indicates that police believe Bedouin and Jewish residents of 
the Negev were involved.  End Note.) 
 
5. (U) Eliyahu further said that the smuggling of 
amphetamines and ecstasy from Europe via the nation's 
airports and sea terminals poses a serious problem.  As an 
example, he cited the July 7 arrest by Jerusalem police of 
seven members of an ecstasy ring involved in smuggling 90,000 
pills from Europe worth millions of shekels. 
 
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Criminal Cooperation 
-------------------- 
 
6. (U) Eliyahu said Arab and Jewish criminal networks in 
Israel work efficiently across language, religious, cultural, 
and physical barriers.  He stated that drug smugglers take 
advantage of the ease with which Israeli-Bedouin communicate 
with Bedouin tribes in Egypt.  In addition, Arabs living in 
Israel often have family in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, 
and other Arab countries, and those involved in illegal 
activities use these ties to traffic women, drugs and weapons. 
 
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Turf Wars 
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7. (U) Eliyahu said that gun battles between crime families 
continue and have intensified over the years.  He added that 
crime families do not abide by any "code of honor" when it 
comes to dealing with rivals, and even use "hit men" on 
occasion.  It is also not out of the ordinary to see street 
battles between crime families involving rockets, machine 
guns and bombs. 
 
8. (U) On August 29, the INP arrested 25 members of the 
Israeli-Arab Hariri-Ayat crime family, which operates in 
northern and central Israel.  Those arrested are suspected of 
extorting "protection" funds as well as attempted murder, 
arson, money-laundering, and drug offenses.  The Hariri and 
Ayat families are related, but their "troops" consist of 
non-family members, including several Jews.  The ring has an 
ongoing battle with the Abed al-Khader crime family and more 
than a dozen people have been killed in turf battles between 
them. 
 
9. (U) Media reports state that two Israelis were recently 
arrested for allegedly sending a police "mole" to murder a 
known underworld figure, Pinchas Buhbut.  The report 
indicates that the officer involved was from an elite 
Jerusalem police unit.  In a similar story, Israel has 
requested the extradition of a Lithuanian citizen (Marious 
Daiminouskous) who allegedly trained and led a team of 
assassins from Belarus to murder Israeli underworld figures 
Yaacov Alperon and Shoni Gavrieli. 
 
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Who is Ze'ev Rosenstein? 
------------------------ 
 
10. (U) Ze'ev Rosentein, a member of an Israeli-directed 
international drug smuggling network which has trafficked 
millions of ecstasy pills into Israel is serving time in an 
Israeli prison.  The U.S. is seeking his extradition on 
charges of conspiracy to distribute 700,000 ecstasy pills in 
the U.S.  This case is ongoing.  If he is extradited, media 
sources indicate it would be the first time that Israel has 
agreed to allow the extradition of an Israeli citizen who is 
a full-time resident of the country. 
 
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