The South District Military Court on Wednesday sentenced operations officer Eran Kabalo to 13 years in jail for drug trafficking. Kabalo admitted to attempts to sell dozens of kilograms of narcotics which he obtained through the Egyptian border for NIS 1.7 million ($470,000). Until his arrest he gained some NIS 340,000 in the operation.
He was also sentenced to three years on probation, and once his jail-time is over, he will be dismissed from the IDF and stripped from his ranks.
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Rejecting Kabalo's plea for clemency, Judge Noa Zomech said "The seriosness of the offenses beggars belief. This is not a one time lapse in judgment, but four different incidents."
"The amount of drugs smuggled into Israel is a matter for worry," Zomech said, adding "Kabalo forfeited his position of being the final frontier against transfer of drugs into the country. Had he not been caught, this amount of narcotics would deal a heavy blow to Israeli citizens."
- She pointed out that the fact that Kabalo was an IDF officer impelled her to take a hard line regarding his penalty. However, many of his fellow officers have commended his character and bravery in combat.
Kabalo's attorney said he believed his client's sentence would be reduced. "Major Kabalo put himself on the line fighting terrorists throughout his military service. I believe history will judge him in a completely different way than today's verdict," he said.