Jerusalem – Several Israeli civilians and 35 soldiers have been detained on suspicion of drug trafficking and use, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced on Sunday.
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The soldiers were detained following an investigation by the special investigations unit of the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, which was conducted with the assistance of the Military Advocate General and in cooperation with the Israel Police.
The military said that, while the investigation is still in process, several suspects have already been arrested and will be brought for remand extensions before the military court.
“This activity is only part of a series of steps taken by the IDF to enforce the prohibition against the use of drugs among its soldiers and to exercise the full force of the law against any soldier involved in drug trafficking,” read a statement released by the IDF.
In February, ten soldiers – four females and six males – were arrested after they were found to be in possession of and using drugs. The soldiers, who had all been serving at the officers’ training base in the Negev, were held for questioning after an undercover investigation found that they had been buying, selling and using drugs while on base.
Two years ago, Israel’s military began amending regulations concerning the use of marijuana by off-duty soldiers.
While marijuana will still be prohibited to all IDF service members, soldiers who are found to have the drugs in their system after returning from leave will no longer be automatically court martialed but will face non-criminal and internal disciplinary actions which will be made at the discretion of their commanding officers.
Soldiers will also face a probationary period during which they will have to submit to monthly drug testing. This would avoid criminal proceedings and spare soldiers from having a criminal record while still allowing commanders to penalize their behavior.
“The goal is to allow a second chance,” the IDF Spokesperson was quoted as saying at the time.
According to a recent Epidemiological Survey conducted by the Israel Anti-Drug Authority, 54% of IDF soldiers admitted to having smoked marijuana in the past year.
Despite the increase in the percentage of cannabis use due to the IDF’s new policy, there has been a decrease in the number of drug-related cases opened against soldiers, the report stated, explaining that 745 cases were opened against troops in 2009 when only 11% admitted to smoking cannabis, as compared to 629 indictments in 2014 and 538 in 2017. Most of the indictments were related to marijuana.
While the total number of IDF soldiers imprisoned has declined over the years, some 10,240 soldiers were incarcerated in 2017. Most sentences were not drug related: close to half were imprisoned for desertion and another 20% for going absent without official leave (AWOL), and some even went to jail for crimes such as rape and murder.
Last October, a female IDF soldier who was imprisoned for drug use fell unconscious while being held in a military jail and later died.
The 19-year-old soldier, who was arrested in early September for smoking marijuana was held at Prison 4 in Tzrifin.
since the loonie liberal left has come in a given Israel such perversion as LGBT etc, the secular Israeli lives only for his/her personal pleasure. So what is to be expected? Drugs give plenty of personal pleasure.
Shame that the IDF does not educate the soldiers as to the dangers of drugs. But then again, secular Israeli society does not educated the Israelis to the danger of HIV/Aids from perverted pleasures either….
But THEY hate ofer winter since he mentions has_em
Don’t believe everything you read from the IDF or police. They don’t care that after turning a soldiers home apart and his property on base there was NOTHING there. Children woken up in the middle of the night having to get out of bed and huddle together while the police go through their things is frightening. Sniffer dogs were in their beds, their stuff for school was tossed everywhere, they even had to get permission to go to the bathroom. The girls were crying and shaking. The soldier I know is from a frum home, they were there till morning and they wouldn’t let him put on Tefillin, he just sat there in handcuffs with army guards. They searched every inch of their home and couldn’t find anything except prescription medications, not even in his name.
I hope this soldier’s parents and siblings don’t see this, they will be even more upset. And yes, he is still in jail even though they are now admitting they don’t have any evidence he was involved in any wrongdoing. I think in Israel you are guilty until you’re proved innocent.
UPDATE – the courts found there wasn’t any wrongdoing by this soldier and he is free, BH. He was friends with someone in his unit who was dealing in drugs & probably taking them as well. Chasdei Hashem but he and his family are deeply traumatized. Bet they don’t report these outcomes, instead they just move on to the next innocent detainee.
To #1
You have a great B job for Trump together with Hashomer. Stop complaining.
Do not use drugs or you will get fired.