Four trucks set on fire, shots fired into the air: suspected protection racket at Dudaim site

Three criminal incidents within five days at the Dudaim waste site in the Negev: arson of four garbage trucks, and threats against three female employees accompanied by shots fired into the air. The suspicion: an attempt to force the company to hire workers through specific manpower agencies, as part of a protection racket. Regional sources call for nationwide enforcement.

Three criminal incidents within five days at the Dudaim waste site in the Negev raise concerns of an attempt to collect protection money. On Thursday night, three garbage trucks were set on fire, and on Friday night, another truck was torched. Yesterday (Monday), a man riding an ATV threatened three female employees leaving the site, drew a gun, and fired into the air. According to a source familiar with the details, the background is an attempt to force the company to employ workers through specific manpower agencies. "They are harming essential work, damages in the millions of shekels," the source said. The CEO of the Western Negev Cluster, Bela Alexandrov, warned that the disruption to essential services could expand and called on the state to deploy its full enforcement capabilities. The report is based on a single source, without a response from the police or the company.