NewsRescue
Three United Nations personnel have been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle cocaine into Israel by liquefying it and disguising it as a perfume-making component.
According to a joint statement from police and the Israel Tax Authority, the suspects, who work for the UN in Syria, were caught on Sunday near Beit She’an as they attempted to enter Israel at the Jordan River Border Crossing. Inspectors discovered liquid cocaine in perfume-making kits that the UN personnel were reportedly attempting to bring into the nation.
Smugglers frequently dissolve cocaine into a liquid state to hide the drug, placing it in containers for spirits or perfume, then converting it back to powder at their destination. In Sunday’s case, a drug-sniffing dog assisted in identifying the purported cocaine. So far this year, the Israel Defence Forces have foiled 30 drug-smuggling attempts, despite increased cocaine use in the country.
Around the world, UN personnel have been involved in crimes ranging from rape to drug trafficking. Last year, a former UN employee was sentenced to 15 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting at least 13 women in the United States and Iraq.