Canada says Israel-bound cocaine shipment intercepted

Canadian agents intercepted a shipment of cocaine bound for Israel, leading to the arrests of several suspects in Tel Aviv, authorities said Friday.

The Canada Border Services Agency said its officers found 4.76 kilograms (10.94 pounds) of cocaine in November during a search of a shipping container destined for Israel at the port of Halifax, in Nova Scotia.

“With the use of tools, an extensive physical examination of the 1,200 bags of vegetable charcoal lead to the discovery of 33 small concealed packages of cocaine,” the agency said in a statement.

It said due to the discovery, Israeli police arrested 11 suspects in Tel Aviv. There was no immediate confirmation of the arrests from the Israel Police.

The announcement comes over a week after charges were filed in Israel against nine suspects accused of running an international drug ring, in which security personnel working for the national El Al airline allegedly used their clearance to smuggle 150 kilograms of cocaine into the country through Ben Gurion International Airport.