In a major operation, Israel Police arrested nine suspects in the Ashdod area Sunday morning on suspicion of running one of the largest drug laboratories uncovered in the country in recent years. Officers also seized tens of kilograms of a substance suspected to be the synthetic drug known as "Doctor," along with millions of dollars in cash.
4 View gallery
The raid in the Ashdod area. Large sums of money in Israeli and foreign currency were also seized
(Photo: Israel Police spokesperson)
According to a police statement, an undercover investigation had been ongoing in recent weeks into a group of suspects allegedly involved in large-scale drug production and distribution. The group is believed to have manufactured and sold significant quantities of the synthetic drug “Doctor,” along with other synthetic narcotics. Each member reportedly had a defined role in the production and distribution chain, with additional associates responsible for distributing the drugs within the party scene.
With the shift to an open investigation this morning, large forces from the Major Crimes Unit , the Ben Gurion Airport customs special unit, and the Tax Authority’s canine unit raided several locations in the Ashdod area. Nine suspects were arrested, and large sums of cash in both Israeli and foreign currency were confiscated, along with significant amounts of synthetic drugs and what appear to be materials produced in the lab.
The police emphasized that this is a case which has led to the closure of one of the largest labs exposed in recent years. “There is no doubt that the arrest of the suspects and the seizure of the findings will directly affect the drug market in the near term,” the statement said. It was further noted that the police “will continue to operate at full strength to reduce the phenomenon of drug trafficking, which constitutes a significant crime enabler among criminals.”