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32 arrested as crackdown on Israeli-Arab crime locates weapons, drug labs

Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs, and women.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

In a crackdown on Israeli-Arab crime, security forces located drug laboratories, seized weapons and cash, and arrested 32 suspects in raids around northern Israel, the Israeli Police announced on Wednesday.

Hundreds of police and security officers raiding homes in Nazareth, Maalot, Daliyat al Karmel, and other areas confiscated around one million shekels ($266,000) in cash.

Four rifles, three other guns, and more than 1,000 seedlings were found in two drug laboratories along with a stolen vehicle.

The police said 32 people suspected of involvement in shootings and other violent incidents were arrested.

Crime, particularly murder, has soared in the Israeli-Arab sector.

According to the Abraham Initiative, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, 98 Israeli-Arabs were killed in violent criminal incidents in 2024.

In 2023, a record number of 244 Israeli-Arabs were murdered, more than double the 120 homicides in 2022.

The spike in violence is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and trying to eliminate rivals.

Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs, and women.