Sources: Telegrass head cooperating with police
The founder of online marijuana distribution network has apparently already told the investigators the code names and bank accounts information of some of the 42 suspects arrested in the drug sting
Amos Dov Silver, founder and director of the network, was arrested Tuesday along with 42 additional suspects by detectives from the Lahav 433 crime unit, known as the "Israeli FBI." Hours before Ukrainian police raided Silver’s hotel room in Kiev he was quoted as saying that “Police cannot do anything to us, it will take them years to bring this down.” Arrests were also made in Germany and the United States.
“We don’t need your help, we know everything. The head of the network is cooperating with us,” the investigators apparently told some of the 42 suspects.
The investigators apparently already managed to obtain the network members’ code names and bank accounts information, as well as information regarding the distribution of money within the organization.
“This is a worldwide investigation that uncovered a hierarchical, organized criminal network, which employed many elements in various positions of management," said a judge during a remand hearing at Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Telegrass reportedly has over 100,000 members in Israel, including dozens of cannabis suppliers. The network enables instant anonymous cannabis delivery, and has an option for users to review the vendors and their products.
Following the arrests, the police said that most of the suspects allegedly belong to the highest echelons of the organization including its head, three deputies and other administrators. The investigation is being conducted by Lahav 433, the national cybercrime unit and the central unit of the Northern District in cooperation with the tax authorities and the cyber crimes and international crimes departments at the State Prosecutor's Office.
According to police, the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Division of the security services in Ukraine and other enforcement bodies in the United States and Germany.
"This is an international affair dealing with the operations of a crime organization with an infrastructure network for drugs and other crimes in Israel and around the world,” the police said.
