WATCH: Israel Police seize over NIS 2.5 Million in 'fatal blow' to northern crime gangs

Israel Police announced on Thursday that they had seized over NIS 2.5 million from a criminal gang in the North, according to a police spokesperson.

North District police officers raided a business in Shfaram on suspicion of money laundering and caught criminals "red-handed" in the process of money laundering.

The raid was undertaken in cooperation with the Israel Border Police. Border Police officers noticed a safe in the business containing NIS 2,649,000 in cash and a significant amount of foreign money also.

This operation was part of ongoing operations against protection rackets in the North. The seized money was likely earned through a series of illegal activities such as extortion of business owners and trade in illegal drugs.

Police raided the building materials business which belonged to a 48-year-old resident of Shfaram who is suspected of being a member of a criminal gang operating in the North. 

Extortion rackets have been a persistent problem for citizens living in the North.

Police investigation underway

Police said that the operation was "a fatal blow to the crime gang from the north."

The investigation of the case is being handled by the "Erez" unit of the Israel Border Police Northern Division.

"Israel Border Police and the Israel Police are working against gangs and criminal organizations with all the tools at their disposal," the Police spokesperson noted In a statement. This is done "with a special emphasis on crimes of extortion by threats against business owners, who find themselves not only under the burden of running an independent business but also in a situation where they and their families are threatened and damages are caused for their businesses and private property."