On Sunday, three employees of the United Nations (UN) were taken into custody by the Israel Police under suspicions of smuggling liquid cocaine from Jordan into Israel.
The illicit substance was cleverly concealed as an ingredient in perfume-making kits, according to the Times of Israel.
The UN workers, who are based near the Syrian border adjacent to Israel, had their baggage thoroughly inspected by customs officers.
The officers found several kits that were purported to be for perfume preparation, leading to their suspicion.
A statement issued jointly by the police and the Tax Authority said that a sniffer dog was brought in and its reaction to the kits’ contents further escalated their doubts.
A subsequent examination carried out by both the police and customs officers identified one or more of the bottles as containing liquid cocaine.
The Northern District branch of the Israel Police has taken over the case and the suspects remain in custody, as mentioned in a police communique.
The UN, with a significant number of peacekeeping forces and other personnel in the regions surrounding Israel, has frequently been embroiled in heated exchanges with Jerusalem.
Israel has often criticized UN officials for alleged bias and collaboration with its foes, whereas the UN has on occasions accused Israel of unjustly detaining its employees or barring them from entering.
That said, there have been instances of purported illegal or unethical conduct by UN employees stationed in Israel.
For instance, in 2020, the UN high command publicly censured the behavior of its employees who were caught on camera engaging in sexual acts within a UN vehicle in Tel Aviv, Times of Israel notes.
Following this incident, two UN workers were put on suspension.
