Dozens from Abu Latif and Hariri crime families arrested in undercover operation.

Israeli authorities have arrested numerous individuals linked to the Abu Latif and Hariri crime families in a large-scale operation conducted with the Border Police, according to an official statement released on Sunday.

The action followed a comprehensive investigation aimed at tackling extortion and the collection of protection money by these criminal organizations across northern Israel. Law enforcement targeted multiple family members at their residences, as well as other sites in the West Bank.

The police statement noted that the operation was meticulously planned over more than a year, employing undercover agents and coordinated under the supervision of the Northern District Command and the economic crimes department of the State Attorneys Office.

Both the Hariri and Abu Latif families are recognized as some of the most influential and dangerous criminal groups in the country. They are reportedly involved in controlling public tenders, seizing businesses, extortion, violent attacks, and shootings, and are suspected of connections to several high-profile murders in recent years.

Earlier in February, authorities detained 38 members of the Abu Latif family, resulting in 24 indictments linked to blackmail and extortion to secure local government contracts. Key figures apprehended included Suleiman Abu Latif, the family leader, and Nissim Sah, the former chairman of soccer club Hapoel Ironi Arraba, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence for killing a police officer and injuring another in 2021.

The investigation primarily focused on extortion and blackmail aimed at local contractors to monopolize market control, as well as forcing local businesses to pay protection money.

Author: Sophia Brooks