Jerusalem-area drug ring dismantled after covert police investigation
Two suspects in their 20s and 30s, both Jerusalem-area residents, were arrested after a long undercover investigation into an alleged sophisticated drug trafficking and distribution network operating in Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. Police said the operation was led by investigators from the Gilad district’s special crime unit and moved into the open on Tuesday night with a large-scale raid.
During searches, detectives filmed themselves dismantling a light fixture in the roof of one suspect’s car, where they found bags containing more than 10 grams of crystal meth that had been carefully hidden. Police said the investigation, which began in April, showed the pair ran a broad commercial distribution system that supplied hard drugs to many customers by advance order, with the total volume allegedly exceeding 2 kilograms of dangerous substances.
According to police, the suspects used technology and dedicated vehicles as mobile “stations” for drug deals in the field. In parallel, officers arrested many customers who had bought drugs from them, and evidence suggested some of those clients made repeated purchases over roughly six months.
The raid involved large forces from the Gilad unit, the Yasam Gilead riot police, the Maale Adumim police station, the Shin Bet district investigative unit, Border Police, and prison service personnel. Searches at the suspects’ homes uncovered a safe containing about 66,000 shekels in cash and about 400 dollars, which police suspect came from drug sales, along with operational phones used to coordinate transactions and the vehicle used to conceal the drugs. Three additional suspects who allegedly bought drugs were also arrested, and the main two suspects were brought to court, which extended their detention by six days.
