An Israeli American suspected of leading a major online-drug dealing network was extradited to Israel from Ukraine early Sunday, a day after he was caught by Ukraine's SBU security service following an escape from custody.
In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Police said it had cooperated with Ukrainian counterparts in apprehending Amos Dov Silver, saying he was found in the city of Uman, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Kiev.
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The SBU said that it had detained three of its own employees suspected of helping Silver escape Kiev's Boryspil International Airport during the process of his extradition.
Silver alleged he was badly beaten by Ukrainian authorities following his capture in Uman.
Uman has become a hot-spot for religious Israeli Jews who travel there in increasing numbers to pray, fraternize, party and even solicit prostitution. Silver comes from an Orthodox background but is now secular.
The statement added that a delegation of Israeli police officers would travel to Ukraine on Saturday to "coordinate the continuation of activities and the extradition process."
Kiev prosecutor's office said that Silver was at the city's airport bound for Israel on Thursday when he escaped from his security service guards and "disappeared."
Silver, the founder of Israeli online drug marketplace Telegrass, which operates on the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram, was arrested in March and charged with running a network with connections in the United States, Ukraine, Israel and Germany.
In a joint effort with law enforcement agencies abroad, Israel Police said it had arrested 42 suspects for drug trafficking in a ring that saw a turnover of "hundreds of millions" of shekels.
"We are not criminals, please understand," Telegrass wrote on their Facebook page. "We are just freedom loving people, that's all."
Israel has approved the export of medical cannabis but producing and selling the drug for recreational purposes remain criminal offenses.
In 2017, the Public Security Ministry partially decriminalized recreational marijuana use, setting fines and treatment for initial offenders instead of criminal procedures.
The Israel Police has said that Silver and his alleged accomplices dealt not only in marijuana but also ecstasy, LSD, cocaine and other dangerous substances.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
