The Spanish and Moroccan pair tested the drugs in Colombia and agreed to pay for two installments of $26,000 per kilogram.
Three suspects, an Israeli, a Spaniard and a Moroccan, were charged on Wednesday for their involvement in a major drug smuggling operation, the State Attorney’s Office announced.
Rashid Makboul, 43, and Jordi Sala Serra, 43, from Spain and Morocco, along with Shahar Zayton, 47, a Jerusalem resident, were arrested after attempting to import 700 kg. of cocaine from Colombia to Israel.
Police managed to thwart their attempt by posing as distributors as part of a joint investigation by the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police, the Intelligence Unit and the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The police investigation began two years ago after the police got an appeal in Colombia about Makboul and Serra wanting to import and trade 2,000 kilos of cocaine into Israel. During the initial meeting between the “seller” and the two Spaniards, in the Colombian city of Cartagena, the pair tested the drugs and their quality and agreed to pay for two installments of $26,000 per kilogram.
The drug bust
This past April, Makboul and Zayton were both informed that the drugs were on their way to Israel. The undercover cop instructed the men to communicate with his supposed “
The defendants subsequently flew to Israel and met with the undercover cops in Tel Aviv. Rashid and Jordi met with “W” to inspect the quality of the cocaine and negotiate the terms of the transaction. However, unbeknownst to them, “W” turned out to be an undercover cop and the drugs were never actually transported to Israel.
During their meeting, the agents presented a deceptive video, purporting to show a significant quantity of drugs that had allegedly arrived from Colombia to Israel. Suspicion arose when the defendants tested a small portion of the substance themselves. Sensing the trap, they quickly left the scene and hurriedly fled to Jerusalem.
