Latest news about crime and security in Israel. Information about the black market in Israel is collected from international organizations, intelligence reports, national security agencies and news articles.
Police in Romania broke up a human-egg trafficking ring in February 2013. The traffickers would pay Romanian women between $800 to $1,100 (€600 to €800 Euros) for their eggs, and then sell it to couples in Israel for $5,339 (€4,000).
Source: AFP, “Romania busts Israeli human egg-trafficking ring,” Google News, February 19, 2013.
At the start of 2013, there were an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 prostitutes working in Israel. The prostitution industry in the country is estimated to generate over $500 million.
Previously, the sex trade in Israel was estimated to be worth $2 Billion a year, with up to 3,000 women being trafficked in to the country. Israel passed an antitrafficking law in 2006 that caused the number of women being trafficked into the country to decline.
(Prostitute prices around the world.)
In 2013, most of the women in the sex trade are Israelis.
Source: Isabel Kershner, “Prostitutes in Israel Are Finding New Lives in Training for the Fashion World,” New York Times, January 3, 2013.
A study by economists at the Open University stated that $2.8 Billion (11 Billion Shekel) is spent on illegal sports betting on the black market in Israel.
If the sports betting market was legalized in Israel, the study estimates that the government would be able to collect up to $$315 Million (1.2 Billion Shekel) in tax revenue.
The total illegal gambling market in Israel is estimated to be worth $4.1 Billion.
Source: Moti Bassok, “Study: Legalized gambling in Israel would net NIS 1.2 billion in tax revenue,” Haaretz, December 10, 2012.
There are over 10,000 medical marijuana users in Israel, according to a press report by NPR.
In 2005, there were only a few hundred licensed medical marijuana users in the country.
The black market price of marijuana in Israel is reported to be $1.5 per gram.
Source: Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, “Medical Marijuana Use Sprouting In Israel,” NPR, July 4, 2012.
A study by the London Metropolitan University found that transnational organized crime groups are responsible for 80 percent of all crime committed online.
In addition, the President of INTERPOL stated that Europe loses up to $977 Billion (750 Billion Euros) a year to cybercrime, and that the country of Israel deals with over 1,000 cyber attacks every minute.
Source: Associated Press, “Global police network Interpol to make war on cyber criminals a priority,” Washington Post, May 8, 2012.
Over 15,000 people are estimated to be working in the prostitution industry in Israel. Out of the total number of prostitutes, one-third, or 5,000 people, are believed to be minors.
Source: Ruth Eglash, “Protests to call for criminalization of prostitution,” Jerusalem Post, February 3, 2012.
An NGO reported in 2011 that it has identified around 620 teenagers who are working as prostitutes in Israel. The organization, Elem, previously reported finding 126 teenage prostitutes in 2010 and said that the higher number was due to stepped up efforts.
75 percent of the minors were girls, 20 percent were boys, and the remaining 5 percent were transgender. The youngest prostitutes that were identified were 12.
Source: Dana Weiler-Polak, “NGO says teenage prostitution worsening in Israel,” Haaretz, November 28, 2011.
A kidney trafficker convicted in the United States was selling kidney transplants to customers for $120,000. He was paying the kidney seller in Israel $10,000 for their kidney.
Source: Tina Susman, “Kidney “matchmaker” pleads guilty in organ trafficking case,” Los Angeles Times, Nation Now Blog, October 27, 2011.
An estimated 10,000 men in Israel visit the prostitution trade each month, according to human trafficking organizations in the country. Men from the ultra-Orthodox community make up to 23 to 35 percent of the customers, with another 25 to 35 percent of the customers being Arab. 8 to 10 percent of prostitution customers are foreign workers, with the remaining customer coming from Israel.
Source: Ruth Eglash, “Taking on the taboo,” Jerusalem Post, October 9, 2011.
Illegal gambling in Israel is estimated to be a $4.1 Billion business (15 Billion Israel Shekels) a year, according to law enforcement agencies in the country.
Source: Tomer Zarchin, “Tip of the iceberg of Israeli organized crime?,” Haaretz, August 19, 2011.
