Police officers on Wednesday arrested 38 members of the Abu Latif crime family in a massive operation, resulting in 24 indictments for allegedly using blackmail and extortion to obtain local government contracts.

Several infamous members of the family were caught in the operation, including family head Suleiman Abu Latif and former chairman of soccer club Hapoel Ironi Arraba, Nissim Sah, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for killing a police officer and injuring another in 2021.

The investigation was focused on the extortion and blackmail of local contractors in order to monopolize the market. The family also extorted local businesses for protection money.

Contractors who failed to cooperate with the organization were harassed and retaliated against until they relented or gave up the contracts.

THE SITE where 5 vehicles were burned last month at the Vered Hagalil Holiday Village lot near Korazim, next to the Sea of Galilee. Police suspect this was a deliberate arson by criminals who extort protection fees from businesses in the North. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
THE SITE where 5 vehicles were burned last month at the Vered Hagalil Holiday Village lot near Korazim, next to the Sea of Galilee. Police suspect this was a deliberate arson by criminals who extort protection fees from businesses in the North. (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)
Investigators suspect that the family were able to extort tenders from the Defense Ministry, including those that involved multiple sensitive areas of the border.

Police said the goal of the arrests was to halt the group’s economic activity, which police estimate reaches hundreds of millions of shekels.

Officers seized dozens of luxury vehicles worth millions of shekels from the family members.

The operation was conducted in cooperation with various units of the police and financial authorities, such as Border Police and Unit 433, as well as the Tax Authority, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Money Laundering Authority.

Abu Latif family criminal organization

Police estimate that the Abu Latif family’s feuds with other organizations have claimed the lives of over 30 people in the last two years; over that period, 473 Arabs have been murdered, according to the Abraham Initiative.

The Abu Latif family is one of the largest crime families in Israel, operating primarily in the North from their home village of Rama, but are also found throughout the country.

Members of the Rama Local Council, who were also members of the Abu Latif family, were involved in extorting local businesses through the planting of explosives and shootings, leading the Attorney-General’s Office to request their suspension.

In December, a member of the organization was charged with racketeering, having extorted tens of thousands of shekels from small businesses.

The family was also involved in the “Black Billion,” a tax evasion scheme that hid billions of shekels from the tax authorities.