Twelve members of the Abu Latif crime family, including the leader Latif Abu Latif, are to be indicted by Israel Police on Sunday for using blackmail and extortion to obtain local government contracts.
The indictments came following an investigation conducted by the Northern District's central unit and Lahav 433. Police are also expected to request an extension of the detention of the twelve criminals.
The other 11 who were indicted are Vicky Attiya, Imran Shakir, Mehdi Ismail, Khaled Sharkia, Salah Gadaban, Abd Khatib, Ahmed Suleiman, Adham Hassan, Salim Shakur, Nissim Amira, and Ashraf Halabi.
Arrests were previously made in February
The indictments come about 40 days after police arrested 38 members of the crime family, resulting in 24 indictments for allegedly using blackmail and extortion to obtain local government contracts. The arrests were made at the end of an undercover investigation conducted over several years that concerned the criminal organization's takeover of tenders from the state, government, local authorities, and senior businessmen by blackmail while carrying out violent extortion incidents and creating a monopoly on performing contract work, police said.
The tenders that the Abu Latif criminal organization tried to take control of through blackmail reportedly cost hundreds of millions of shekels over the years and can be found in cities and towns including Netanya, Rishon Lezion, Nesher, Jadeidi-Makr, Kabul, I'billin, and Abu Snan, police added.
Police investigators suspect that the family had been able to extort tenders from the Defense Ministry. Investigators were able to link crimes that were committed by various members of the crime family.
"Zero tolerance for protection offenses," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X/Twitter in response to the indictments, praising the police for their efforts.
When police had made the arrests in late February, they said their goal was to halt the group’s economic activity, which police estimate reaches hundreds of millions of shekels.
Yuval Barnea contributed to this report.
