The Israel Police and the Tax Authority arrested four residents of the north and detained ten others on suspicion of money laundering, forgery and fraud offenses amounting to tens of millions of shekels

In the framework of the Israel Police’s war against the economic attacks that cause great damage to the Israeli economy as well as to the state coffers, at the completion of a two-year undercover investigation, police arrested four residents of the north, and detained ten others for suspected money laundering.

This is a focused enforcement against economic crime, in which the Israel Police combines arms with other enforcement authorities and implements models of economic assault in conjunction with customs and VAT investigations in the Tax Authority, in order to protect the state coffers and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The suspect were arrested on suspicion of money laundering, smuggling, fraud and forgery under aggravated circumstances in the amount of more than NIS 10 million.

It is suspected that the four used to import alcohol from several European countries to Israel in the amount of tens of millions of shekels, falsifying the purchase and delivery documents, in a manner that presents the tax authorities in Israel with fictitious receipts of payment amounts lower than the original, and in this method fraudulently pocketed millions of shekels.

In addition, investigators from the Customs and VAT Unit of Haifa conducted a search of the homes and offices to find documents, computers, and storage devices that contain information that could link them to the alleged offenses.

It should be emphasized that this is a joint investigation between the Israel Police and the Customs and VAT Examinations Unit in the Tax Authority, which combined professional capabilities on the investigative and intelligence levels, alongside enforcement of the enforcement powers of the two bodies, with the aim of maximizing the severity of the law, “Of those involved in preventing further offenses, including forfeiture of money, bank accounts and luxury cars owned by them.

The investigation is in its early stages, and additional arrests are expected, and as soon as an investigative need arises, the participants will be brought to the Haifa Magistrate Court for an extension of their detention.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)