Even the police were surprised: A store clerk in Beit She'an turned out to be a drug network owner

A Beit She'an resident in his 50s, a clerk at a liquor store, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. An investigation of his mobile phone revealed a drug trafficking network he ran from the store, including selling cannabis to a minor. Separate indictments were filed against him for violence and drug trafficking.

A Beit She'an resident in his 50s, a clerk at a well-known liquor store in the city, was arrested in early July on suspicion of assaulting and threatening his wife. An investigation of his mobile phone, which was scanned as part of the violence case, revealed a drug trafficking network he ran from the store. According to the indictment, he used his workplace and daily interactions with customers to conduct drug deals, some inside the store. In one charge, he is accused of selling cannabis to a 17-year-old minor. The technological crime scene investigator, Chief Warrant Officer Kfir Avitan, said there was no initial indication of drugs, and that during the data scan, numerous correspondences indicating dozens of transactions emerged. According to him, it was a matter of "supplementing income" while working at the store. Concurrently, a separate indictment was filed against him for domestic violence: according to the charge, after his wife said she "would not cheat like him," he punched her in the face and knocked her to the floor, causing her injuries. It was also alleged that he had previously threatened to kill her. He now faces charges including assault, threats, drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit a crime, and inducing a minor to use drugs.