Israeli Police Charge Northern Drug Dealers After Text Message Evidence

Israeli police have charged a couple from northern Israel with running a drug trafficking network across the region. The suspects, a 27-year-old man from Safed and a 30-year-old woman from Yaarim, were arrested after police stopped their vehicle near Kiryat Shmona for speeding. Officers detected a strong smell of cannabis and found dozens of bags of cannabis and thousands of shekels in cash during a search.

A key piece of evidence was a text message received by the woman on her phone, stating "taking 4 for 1,000," sent within a social media group called "North Chico, The Traveler's Guide." This message strongly supported suspicions of drug sales. Investigators traced 11 different customers from various northern localities, including Kiryat Shmona, Kibbutz Dafna, Kfar Blum, Masada, Karnei Hittim, and northern Golan Heights, who had purchased drugs from the suspects on multiple occasions.

The couple operated under several aliases on social media, such as "King of Cannabis" and "North Chico The Traveler's Guide," to conceal their identities. The Northern Prosecution Unit in Kiryat Shmona filed charges against them at the local Magistrate's Court, requesting their detention until the end of legal proceedings and seizure of the confiscated cash.

The police emphasized their ongoing commitment to combating drug trafficking by targeting dealers and distributors within the community.