Approximately 500 police officers and Border Police operatives raided a series of locations across the country this morning (Monday) as part of Operation “Guardians of the Shadow.” The operation targeted criminal elements suspected of extorting “protection money” from contractors under the guise of providing security services. The operation followed a complex, ten-month covert investigation conducted by the Central Unit of the Coastal District and the “Protection North” unit of Lahav 433, in coordination with the State Attorney’s Office. Dozens of suspects were arrested during the operation—including the head of an Arab local council in the north, as well as a known criminal—and are expected to be brought before the Haifa Magistrate’s Court later today for a hearing regarding the extension of their detention.
According to the allegations, criminal elements systematically targeted contractors at construction sites, compelling them to utilize security services provided by the suspects’ associates, while demanding payments of tens of thousands of shekels per site. While these payments were ostensibly presented as fees for the protection of the business owners’ property, the investigation revealed that, in reality, no security services were provided at all.
Police suspect that the very individuals who offered to protect the sites were also the ones who created the threats against them. In this manner, an extortion scheme was allegedly established, in which contractors were coerced into paying significant sums of money to avoid potential damage to their property. The method allegedly allowed the collection of “protection money” to be presented as a standard business arrangement between a contractor and a security firm, even though, in reality, these payments were coerced through threats.
The investigation, which lasted approximately ten months, was conducted by the Central Unit of the Coastal District and the “Protection North” unit of Lahav 433, in coordination with the State Attorney’s Office. Throughout this period, investigators worked to substantiate the suspicions against those involved and to uncover the mechanisms used to collect the protection money. This morning, upon the signal to transition to the overt phase of the operation, approximately 500 police officers and Border Police operatives launched a coordinated action across numerous locations nationwide. The forces carried out arrests as part of an ongoing effort to combat entities suspected of operating extortion rackets.
Police statements provided conflicting figures regarding the number of detainees: an initial report mentioned 59 suspects, while a subsequent update indicated that 50 individuals had been arrested during the operation. All those taken into custody have been transferred for questioning by the Central Unit of the Coastal District and the Lahav 433 unit. Later today, the detainees are expected to be brought before the Haifa Magistrate’s Court, where the police will request an extension of their detention, pending further investigative developments and the evidence gathered.
The police emphasized that they will continue to take proactive measures against criminal organizations, expose extortion schemes—specifically the collection of “protection” money—and dismantle the economic infrastructure that sustains these criminal activities. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities intend to examine the full scope of the suspects’ activities, as well as their specific roles within the uncovered extortion operations.