An extortion ring in southern Israel has met its demise thanks to a double agent. The Negev Police Precinct Central Unit has utilized, over the past year, an officer who was specially enlisted as an undercover agent. The agent operated under the guise of the owner of a business in the Be'er Sheva industrial zone.
During the operation, he was approached by well-known criminals from the Negev Bedouin villages who threatened his life and business and demanded that he pay them a fixed "security fees" of tens of thousands of shekels.
During the months-long operation, the agent and police investigators managed to collect incriminating evidence against dozens of suspects, including major Southern District targets and notable criminals.
Along with the heads of the network, evidence was also collected against other people involved who allegedly damaged the property of several business owners in the area as part of the terror mechanism and to impose the control of criminal organizations on industrial areas.
The criminals systematlically exploited the local business owners' distress and fear of harm to their income.
Early on Monday morning, as the investigation entered its overt stage, the police launched a large-scale arrest operation.
Officers from the Border Police National Guard and Negev Central Unit detectives, together with Southern District officers from the Rotem and Negev Precincts, the Aerial Unit, and special units, conducted simultaneous raids on the homes of suspects in the Negev Bedouin villages, southern communities, and other areas across the country.
During the raid, dozens of suspects were surprised in bed, arrested, and taken for interrogation at the Central Unit offices.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir commented on the investigation: "The fight against protection rackets is a national mission. Those who extort business owners, terrorize, and hurt Israeli citizens' sense of security will meet a strong, determined, and aggressive police force. I commend the Police Commissioner, the Commander of the Southern District, and all the officers for the impressive operation. We will continue to go after the protection rackets until the phenomenon.