Jewish-Arab drug smuggling ring suspected of spying for Hizbullah
By Ellis Shuman February 18, 2003
The Israeli-Lebanese border, near Metulla.
Twelve Israelis were arrested recently on suspicion of providing intelligence information to Hizbullah agents in exchange for drugs, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police said on Monday. Charges were filed yesterday against nine of the suspects - three Jews from Kiryat Shemona and six Arab residents of the divided village of Ghajar, which is located half in Israel and half in Lebanon.
Members of the ring, arrested about a month ago, are believed to have provided Hizbullah with intelligence regarding IDF deployment along Israel's northern border, the location of bases and military installations, and maps of the region, including main highways and access routes, intersections, and shopping malls. In addition, they also are suspected of giving Hizbullah night-vision glasses, an Israeli Statistical Yearbook and electronic Hebrew-English dictionaries. In exchange, the ring transferred to Israel at least four to five tons of hashish.
The ring was reportedly operated by Lebanese drug dealer Ramzi Nohra, 38, who was killed in a mysterious explosion outside his home in southern Lebanon on December 6. Hizbullah blamed Israel for Nohra's death.
The primary suspect is Sa'ad Kahmouz, 40, of Ghajar, who is a veteran drug dealer. According to the charge sheet presented to Nazareth's District Court yesterday, Kahmouz and Nohra were together in the drug dealing business before the IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000.
Kahmouz's girlfriend, Dorit Edri, a 34-year-old mother of three from Kiryat Shemona, was also part of the ring, police said. Edri is charged with having filmed roads and military and civilian structures in the north, and having transferred night-vision glasses to Hizbullah. In exchange, Edri reportedly received large quantities of hashish.
Kiryat Shemona resident Charlie Peretz, 33, is suspected of having given Hizbullah information and the Statistical Yearbook. The other Kiryat Shemona resident arrested was identified as Shlomo Mozes.
In addition, two Israeli soldiers who manned a patrol post south of Ghajar are suspected of "looking the other way" to allow contraband to enter Israel in exchange for drugs. The soldiers are not suspected of transferring information to Hizbullah.
Divided village, divided loyalties
The publication of the drug smuggling ring again focused attention on the village of Ghajar. Residents of the village are Israeli citizens, but the officially recognized international border runs through the village center. Israeli soldiers patrol the southern entrance to Ghajar, but residents are able to freely enter Lebanon from the northern section.
Due to its unique situation, Ghajar has become a major drug smuggling center and Hizbullah has taken advantage of the lax security protocols to nurture connections with drug dealers.
"Ghajar constitutes a porous transfer point from Israel to Lebanon, whereby Hizbullah operatives are involved in criminal and security-intelligence activity given the absence of a real fence or obstacles between the two parts of the village," an Israeli police statement said.
Army Radio reported that the army would set up a border control station south of the village, but village residents fear that this would lead to their being annexed to Lebanon.
A Ghajar councilman described the alleged spy-smugglers as "bad apples" and said they had been disavowed by the village.
Hizbullah looks for information from Israel
Security officials warned that Hizbullah's efforts to set up spy rings and gather information from Israel were ongoing. In July last year, two drug dealers from Ghajar and Nazareth were arrested on suspicion of transferring classified security information to enemy elements in Lebanon in exchange for drugs and money.
Last June, Holon resident Nissim Nasser, a Jewish immigrant from Lebanon, was charged with providing Hizbullah maps of Tel Aviv, pinpointing the locations of fuel depots and electrical power stations, with the intent of harming Israel's security.
In the most serious Hizbullah spy ring, Lt.-Col. (res.) Omar al-Hayeb from the Galilee village of Beit Zarzir and nine other Bedouins were arrested last October and charged with providing Hizbullah sensitive security information in exchange for drugs and money. 