Policing authorities in Israel have reportedly arrested three United Nations employees for allegedly trying to bring in liquid cocaine disguised as perfume.
The trio, who work for the UN in Syria, are said to have tried to smuggle the cocaine across the Jordanian border into Israel by liquefying the drug and disguising it as a perfume-making component.
They were reportedly apprehended on Sunday near Beit She’an as they tried to enter Israel at the Jordan River Border Crossing, according to a joint statement by police and the Israel Tax Authority, RT reported on Monday.
Smugglers often dissolve cocaine into a liquid form to disguise the drug, putting it in containers for such products as liquor or perfume, then convert it back to powder at their destination.
It is also reported that a drug-sniffing dog helped identify the alleged cocaine in Sunday’s case, per RT.
This year alone, the Israel Defense Forces have thwarted 30 drug-smuggling attempts in the wake of rising cocaine use in the country.
The three UN employees who work on the Syrian border with Israel, weren’t identified.
The latest development comes as UN staffers around the world have been involved in crimes ranging from rape to drug trafficking.
In 2022, a former UN employee was sentenced to 15 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting at least 13 women in the US and Iraq.
Zwnews
