Eight Reputed Mobsters Arrested on Suspicion of Involvement in Extortion Racket
Eight suspects, including alleged senior members of the Dekah criminal organization, were arrested in Israel for extortion and money laundering.
Jerusalem, 18 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Police reported that, in an operation carried out Monday morning, they arrested people they described as “senior members” of the reputed Dekah criminal organization and others on suspicion of extortion and money laundering. The operation was part of a national effort to stamp out extortion rackets in Israel. Eight people were arrested overall and approximately 120,000 Shekels in cash, vehicles, and assets were seized.
The arrests came after a covert investigation was conducted by a special police task force.
According to the police, the suspects “instilled fear, extorted through threats, collected protection money, and imposed various services” in the fields of construction, infrastructure, and security over time on several large contracting companies building projects.
The illicit funds, worth millions of shekels, obtained from the imposition of services were laundered, said the police, through companies of others that served as a front for the criminal activity while committing offenses against the tax authorities, and this alongside financial damage caused by the suspects in various ways to the contracting companies.
