Court rejects Israeli's extradition appeal
Supreme Court rules to extradite Yariv Haziza, wanted on charges of drug trafficking
The Supreme Court rejected on Wednesday an appeal filed by Yaniv Haziza against his extradition to the United States, where he has been charged for drug trafficking.
A district court recently ruled to extradite Haziza (39), who was arrested in 2007 following a joint investigation between Israel Police and Interpol. His indictment specified that he had transferred 30 kg of ecstasy tablets to the United States.
Haziza was indicted in the US in 2004, but escaped. In December 2006, an extradition requested was filed by the United States.
The United States prosecution claimed that Haziza had been part of a Los Angeles-based drug smuggling ring that brought in drugs from Belgium to the US on a regular basis. The ring was apparently headed by Eliyahu Marciano, another Israeli.
During his extradition appeal, Haziza's lawyer claimed that, even in the event that sufficient evidence existed to tie his client to the drug trade in Belgium, it was insufficient to tie him to drug smuggling into the US. As such, he said, Haziza should be tried in Israel or Belgium, not the United States.
He added that Haziza had already been tried in absentia in Belgium for these charges and, thus, there was no reason to try him for the same crimes a second time.
