Alleged 'cocaine clan' indicted

By DAN IZENBERG
The state prosecution on Sunday indicted a couple from Kibbutz Gesher Haziv and their son on charges including importing and trafficking in cocaine. The trial will be held in Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court. The suspects included in the indictment are Ron and Talia Dotan and their son, Idan. At least seven other suspects, including the Dotans' daughter Zohar and her partner Assaf Leibowitz, have also been arrested by police in connection with the alleged drug ring. The charges against the Ron and Talia Dotan include importing and trafficking in a dangerous drug, possession of a drug not for personal use, manufacture of a dangerous drug, conspiracy to commit a crime and attempting to import a drug. Idan was charged with importing a dangerous drug and possession of a dangerous drug not for personal use. According to the indictment, Ron Dotan was approached by a man by the name of Yehuda Sabag who offered him $5,000 to bring three bottles of liquid cocaine from Argentina to Israel. Dotan flew to Argentina on June 12, 2003 and brought the 0.75 litre bottles, that looked like bottles of wine, back to his home on the kibbutz. Later, he handed them over to a man named Gidi in return for $30,000. Dotan brought the money back to Sabag in Argentina and received three more bottles and $5,000 to take home. Back in Israel, a man named Douglas taught Ron and Talia Dotan how to convert the liquid cocaine into powder. After selling the powder, they handed over $30,000 to Douglas. Several months later, Dotan invited two kibbutz members to Argentina for a vacation at his expense and then asked them to bring back three bottles of "wine" each for his wife. They did so and Dalia Dotan, together with Douglas, converted the liquid into powder. Dotan then sold part of the cocaine powder for $37,000. According to the indictment, Ron and Dalia Dotan continued to smuggle in cocaine and sell it until German customs authorities alerted Israel that two bottles, addressed to Idan Dotan, looked suspicious. Israeli authorities monitored the shipment and uncovered the ring. In addition to the indictment, the state also asked the court to remand Ron, Talia and Idan Dotan until the end of the judicial proceedings against them.