Three United Nations staff members were arrested in Israel on Sunday on suspicion of attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country from neighbouring Jordan.
An alleged attempt to smuggle liquid cocaine disguised as perfume-making kits into Israel was foiled by Tax Authority and Airport Authority customs officials, with the aid of drug-sniffing dogs.
According to a report from the Jerusalem Post, three U.N. staff members have been arrested by Israel Police on suspicion of cocaine smuggling. The three U.N. workers are reported to be stationed on the Syrian border but were arrested upon trying to re-enter Israel from Jordan.
Upon determining that the liquid was indeed cocaine, the U.N. workers were arrested by the Northern District Police’s Yagal Unit and currently remain in police custody.
Israel Tax Authority, Sunday, June 25, 2023
In response to the arrests, The Times of Israel noted that the United Nations and Jerusalem have “often exchanged barbs with U.N. officials over impartiality or accused them of collaborating with Israel’s enemies, while the UN has at times accused Israel of detaining its employees without reason or denying them entry.”
The paper also pointed out that the staff from the United Nations, which has thousands of employees and peace-keeping troops stationed around Israel, have previously faced criminal charges in the country, including a 2020 incident in which two U.N. staff were filmed having sexual relations in a car in Tel Aviv.
It is also not unique for U.N. employees to have been accused of using their position to smuggle drugs. For example, in 2006, American authorities arrested Osman Osman, a Somalian mail clerk at the United Nations, for allegedly playing a central role in one of the largest smuggling operations for the East African Stimulant ‘khat’ into the U.S.
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