Israel Police brought down the head of a gang and other significant suspects this week in an operation in which they recruited an undercover agent who had been a prominent member of the gang for many years.
The operation spanned three months and culminated in the "cracking" stage, in which 16 suspects, including the gang's leader, were arrested from Ashdod, Ramla and the Bedouin diaspora.
The undercover agent, code-named "Nikita,, worked for years in a prominent position in the gang. The police contacted him, offering him a way out that was designed so that he could remain in his position and bring the gang down from the inside.
The ultimate goal of the operation was to topple one of the leading gangs that was influencing Israeli crime and citizens. This was done by making transactions with the criminals who worked for the gang, who deal drugs using intimidation and violence.
One of the central crimes investigated in the operation was the kidnapping of a man by the gang's leader, who threatened his life and the lives of others.
Agent Nikita was sent by his handlers to make purchases with individuals that had been chosen carefully by police intelligence. Nikita was able to use his reputation to buy two guns, ammunition, dangerous drugs, an MDMA-type drug called "crystal" and large amounts of marijuana.
Thanks to his work, the police were able to launch an extensive arrest operation in which they also seized weapons and drugs from the suspects' houses.
Organized crime has been a pressing issue in Israeli society for a long time, particularly in Arab communities. On Monday alone, two men were killed in separate shooting incidents, and more people were injured.