In new crackdown, cops arrest Jerusalemite for selling marijuana
Police say arrest part of ‘targeted enforcement’ of drug laws, find messages on his phone from 4 IDF soldiers believed to be clients
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Jerusalem police arrested a 21-year-old resident of the capital suspected of selling marijuana, along with four Israeli soldiers believed to have been clients of his, police said Sunday.
The suspect was arrested approximately a week ago, when police officers spotted him riding a motorized scooter and believed him to be under the influence of drugs, a police spokesperson said.
Upon searching the man, the officers discovered marijuana that had been individually packaged by weight, along with approximately NIS 30,000 ($7,800) in cash, police said.
The arrest was made “in the framework of the Israel Police’s targeted enforcement activities against drug use and distribution,” police said in a statement.
When officers inspected the suspect’s cellphone, they found that messages sent through WhatsApp that seemed to indicate that he sold both marijuana buds, which he referred to as “green,” and hashish, which he referred to as “dirt” for its dark brown color, a police spokesperson said.
While searching through the phone, the police found messages from the four soldiers, which appeared to identify them as his customers, a spokesperson said.
However, during his interrogation the 21-year-old Jerusalemite claimed the marijuana discovered on his person was for personal use, a lesser crime than if the drugs were meant for distribution, according to police.
On Sunday, the man was served with an official notice that he would be charged with selling drugs, while the files on the four IDF soldiers were handed over to Military Police for further investigation, police said.
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