The battle of Israel Police against organized crime in Israel took a dramatic turn early Monday morning when over 60 suspected criminals were arrested, the culmination of a year-long secret operation against illegal drugs, weapons and explosive devices.

Some of the detainees, mostly Arabs but also Jews, are senior figures in criminal organizations operating in the Jerusalem and Lachish areas.

About a year ago, Israel Police recruited an influential senior Arab criminal to become a secret agent among the influential echelon of dealers of illegal weapons, explosive devices and drugs. The agent, who operated in the Lod area in central Israel in the past, has access to senior criminals in organized crime groups who were on top of the police’s wanted list, including the heads of crime families in the Jerusalem area.

The covert operation, which cost millions of shekels, led to the mass arrests on Monday morning. One of those arrested was “The Engineer” – responsible for a series of detonations of explosive charges in the Jerusalem area, as well as many other senior criminals.

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The secret agent, a figure well-known and trusted in the criminal underworld, met with and recorded dozens of suspects as he carried out illegal purchases, including M16 and AK-47 (Kalashnikov) assault rifles, handguns, explosives, 10 kg of cocaine and over a kilogram of heroin.

The undercover agent was accompanied by an undercover police officer from an elite police unit on all his clandestine operations, who acted as his driver and provided security backup.

The suspects were arrested in locations throughout Israel, including Rechovot, Lod, Nes Tziona, Beit Dagan, Petach Tikva, Ramla, Tel Aviv, Holon, Yaffo, Jerusalem, Tel Sheva, Ashdod, Akko, Cheletz (a moshav in southern Israel), as well as Taibeh, Jaljulia, Kfar Kassem, Rahat, Nazareth, and Basma (Arab cities and towns) and Segev Shalom (also known as Shaqib al-Salam, a Bedouin town) and illegal Bedouin settlements.

“The message from here to every criminal and lawbreaker is that the long hand of the police – through overt or covert operations – will reach them,” said Public Security Minister Amir Ohana (Likud).

“I see special significance in employing an agent within Arab society. We have an obligation to provide security to all the citizens of the state wherever they may be. Israel Police works on behalf of the Arab public as they do for all citizens of the state.”

The agent has been placed in the witness protection program.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)