The cocaine and ketamine were hidden inside shampoo containers and food supplement packages and were taken to a police lab for confirmation
The four young women accused of attempting to smuggle 33 pounds of cocaine and ketamine from Germany into Israel arrived at the hearing at Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court on Sunday, crying as their families attempted to support them.
A police representative stated at the hearing that they suspect that this is not the first time that the young women have smuggled drugs. Following the hearing, Judge Tal Aner extended their detention by eight days.
The District Court also allowed the publication of the identity of the women: Arbel Mizrahi (23) from Tel Aviv, Oral Ben Haim (24) from Kfar Saba, Idan Tsauber (24) from Kfar Saba and Lee Poni (22) from Kiryat Gat.
Detectives tracked them since their exit from the plan on Sunday night and arrested them shortly after. They analyzed the women’s movements during passport control and luggage retrieval, determining they were smuggling illegal substances.
The drugs were hidden inside shampoo containers and food supplement packages and were taken to a police lab for confirmation. Along with the four women, two men were arrested for suspicion of being behind the smuggling attempt. The police estimate that the young women were used as brokers to import the drugs in exchange for about $15,000.
“They consciously went after the easy and big money that would allow them a standard of living that does not match their financial capacity,” said a source close to the investigation, according to Ynet.
Superintendent Ezra Goldstein, head of the Investigations and Intelligence Division in the Netherberg Police, said: “Innocent women they are not.”
