The South African police have arrested a gang leader presumed to be Yaniv Ben Simon, although he remains officially unnamed until his appearance in court.
The man in question has allegedly built a reputation for being Israel’s most notorious gang leader.
The 46 year old was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday in an affluent Johannesburg suburb. His arrest warrant dates back to 2015, when the notorious outlaw was officially listed on Interpol's Red Notice.
According to the authorities, he is known for his connections to the Abergil Israeli crime family, specifically as the right-hand man of Yitzhak Abergil, the imprisoned leader of the crime organization.
Some of the gang’s most prominent illegal activities include drug trafficking, and extortion amongst other crimes.
The statement released by the South African police reads in part, “the suspect is part of a notorious gang dealing in drug trafficking, extortion and other criminal activities." He was arrested alongside 7 other suspects.
Some of the items in the suspect's possessions during his arrest include, five assault rifles, seven handguns, around $40,000 (NIS 137,000) and three motorcycles, all of which were seized by the law enforcement agents.
“He has been on Interpol’s Red Notice since 2015 and is wanted in Israel for conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder,” said South African police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe.
According to the Times of Israel, a Jerusalem based online news platform, this would not be the suspect’s first rodeo with the law as his gang has gained massive notoriety in the middle eastern region.
“The Abergil crime syndicate has long been considered a central player in Israel’s criminal underworld. In June, Abergil himself was sentenced to three life sentences and an additional 30 years behind bars by an Israeli court for the murder of three uninvolved bystanders during an attempted hit in 2003, due to his role as head of an organized crime group that carried out the bombing.”
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