14 Israelis arrested for khat-smuggling across Europe in past few days
The Israelis were caught with tens of kilograms of the drug indigenous to the Yemeni region, with the largest smuggling attempts weighing in at 91 and 82 kilograms each.
By IDAN ZONSHINEMan in handcuffs - illustrative(photo credit: INGIMAGE / ASAP)
Fourteen young Israelis suspected of khat-smuggling will spend their Rosh Hashanah in prisons across Europe: 7 in France, 3 in Sweden, 2 in Spain and 2 in Ireland.The Israeli citizens were caught with tens of kilograms of the drug indigenous to the Yemeni region, with the largest smuggling attempts weighing in at 91 and 82 kilograms each.A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry cautioned against attempting to smuggle khat outside of Israel, stating that it is a very serious offense in European countries that could result in several years in prison.“Unfortunately, the phenomenon keeps expanding, harming innocent citizens – some of whom belong to disenfranchised factions of Israeli society [and] are more easily tempted by khat distributors and find themselves serving extended sentences abroad,” the spokesman said.
