Israeli Police Charge 10 in Organized Gambling and Loan Sharking Ring Led from Prison

The Israeli Police and Northern District Prosecutor's Office have filed indictments against ten suspects, including Asaf Buskila, Adir Ben Hamo, and Meir Amar, accusing them of running a criminal enterprise involved in illegal gambling, loan sharking, extortion, and money laundering in Migdal HaEmek and surrounding areas. The indictment, submitted to the Nazareth District Court on Monday, reveals that Buskila, an inmate at Shata Prison, managed the gang's operations remotely from behind bars, issuing daily instructions to members outside prison.

According to the indictment, the group operated for about four years, generating at least 3 million shekels through illegal gambling and predatory lending practices. The gang ran a gambling apartment in Migdal HaEmek where they manipulated roulette games using a remote control mechanism involving magnets to rig outcomes and deceive gamblers. The suspects also engaged in violent debt collection, including an incident where they lured a debtor with over 100,000 shekels in debt to the gambling apartment, locked him inside, and attacked him with a trained dog, causing serious injuries.

The indictment details other offenses such as unlicensed credit provision with exorbitant monthly interest rates, extortion by threats and force, conspiracy, aggravated assault, and money laundering. Prosecutors requested the suspects remain in custody throughout the legal proceedings, emphasizing the severity of the extortion phenomenon in Israel and the threat posed by the organized gang's intimidation tactics against vulnerable debtors and gamblers.

The case highlights ongoing challenges in combating organized crime that exploits economic distress, with authorities stressing the need to uphold law and order against such criminal networks.