A British citizen has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after admitting to smuggling 4.2 kilograms of ketamine into Israel in shampoo bottles hidden inside his and his girlfriend’s luggage.
The 37-year-old was convicted under a plea agreement in Lod District Court. Judge Merav Greenberg also imposed a 10-month suspended sentence and a fine of 15,000 shekels ($4,950).
(Photo: Israel Police)
The defendant and his girlfriend, both British nationals, flew from London to Israel in October 2025. According to the amended indictment, the woman went to the defendant’s home before the trip and agreed, at his request, to place bags containing shampoo bottles in her suitcase. The seven bottles, which actually contained ketamine, were divided between their luggage before they traveled to Luton Airport.
The two were detained after landing at Ben Gurion Airport, where a search of their belongings uncovered the drug-filled bottles. The man was charged, while the indictment was later amended at the request of his attorney, reducing the quantity attributed to him from 5.6 kilograms to 4.2 kilograms.
He admitted the facts in the amended indictment and was convicted of importing a dangerous drug, an offense carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
During sentencing, both sides asked the court to approve the plea agreement, which limited the requested prison term to no more than two and a half years, minus time already served in custody.
The state acknowledged that the amended indictment and lenient sentence resulted from evidentiary difficulties raised by the defense.
The court was also told that the defendant had admitted his actions both during the police investigation and in court, had assumed responsibility and had spared the judicial system the time required for a trial.
The defense emphasized that he was a foreign national unable to participate in prison rehabilitation programs, received no visits and had limited financial resources. His attorney also asked that he be permitted to hold a video call with his family abroad.
Addressing the court before sentencing, the defendant apologized for his involvement in the situation and the trouble he caused.
Judge Greenberg approved the plea deal, finding that it appropriately balanced the severity of the offense against the particular hardships faced by a foreign detainee. She sentenced him to 30 months in prison, counted from the date of his arrest upon arriving in Israel in October 2025, as well as a 10-month suspended sentence and a fine of 15,000 shekels, or two additional months in prison if the fine is not paid.