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Police confiscate 12 luxury cars in raid on Bedouin crime gangs

Tax evaders owing millions of shekels were targeted.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

The police commenced with another phase of Operation Safe Track on Wednesday when about 200 policemen from the Negev stations and dozens of investigators from the Tax Authority and the State Attorney’s Office raided Bedouin crime gangs and criminal-generating elements in search of financial offenders.

Operation Safe Track is the police’s nationwide struggle to deal with crime in the Arab society and to strengthen governance and deterrence.

Wednesday’s activity focused on the Bedouin city of Rahat, and the Aro’er and Dimona areas. Criminal elements involved in tax evasion who owe millions of shekels and own luxury vehicles that cost hundreds of thousands of shekels were targeted by the police.

During the operation, a number of debtors tried to escape, and with the help of a helicopter, they were located and brought in for questioning.

The police also seized 12 luxury vehicles including a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Corvette, Porsche, and Land Rover, in accordance with orders issued by the Tax Authority.

The Israel Police, the Tax Authority and the State Attorney’s Office will” continue to work with all the tools at their disposal and in cooperation to enforce all laws at all times, in order to preserve governance and deterrence and, among other things, increase equality in tax burden among citizens,” a joint statement said.

The police have been waging an ongoing battle against criminal elements in the Arab-Israeli sector following a surge in violence and murders in recent years.

The Arab sector across the country, in general, has been suffering from a wave of violence in recent years, with some 120 murder victims counted since the beginning of 2021.

In the south specifically, the police have been contending with Bedouin crime families and organizations.