Police seized more than 2.5 million shekels (about $800,000) in cash this week during raids on two properties in Lod linked to rival crime families, authorities said Friday.
The money, found in shekels, euros and U.S. dollars, was uncovered as part of a broader campaign to target organized crime in the city.
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Stashes of cash found during police raid on crime families in Lod
(Photo: Israel Police)
In one raid Thursday, Central District Police officers, alongside Border Police and special forces, seized more than 1.5 million shekels from a family known to be in conflict with another crime clan in Lod. Three family members were arrested after failing to provide a clear explanation for the source of the funds.
The case has been transferred to the Central Economic Enforcement Unit of Lahav 433, the national crime-fighting unit, which is investigating whether the cash was tied to criminal activity or undeclared earnings from off-the-books labor used to evade taxes.
The raids are part of an intensified strategy led by Central District Commander Deputy Commissioner Amir Cohen to confront criminal networks through direct action in Lod, where families are believed to stockpile weapons and large sums of cash. Police say the city has seen a rise in violence linked to family feuds, including a deadly shooting last Saturday in which a man in his 20s was gunned down in broad daylight at a city intersection. Two others were wounded, one severely.
A separate raid on Sunday uncovered weapons and 1,116,000 shekels in cash hidden in a safe. Two suspects—a 47-year-old man and his 24-year-old nephew—were arrested. The older man claimed the money was related to work he performed as an engineer in a luxury home construction business run by his nephew, who said he employed dozens of Palestinian laborers from the West Bank and used the funds to pay them in cash.
The investigation, which includes Tax Authority officials, is examining suspicions of financial crimes and tax evasion. Authorities believe the cash was likely earned “off the books.” Investigators are reviewing the suspects’ claimed income and comparing it with the seized funds.
“In the early stages of the investigation, there is no match between the suspect’s declared income—about 100,000 shekels over the past year—and the amount found in the safe,” said Superintendent Liron Danoch, head of investigations in the Economic Enforcement Division.