- Sep 17, 2003
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Diplomatic immunity provides foreign diplomats with legal immunity from prosecution under the laws of the host country. It has a long history in international affairs and has been accepted as international law in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomats can literally get away with murder by invoking the privilege of diplomatic immunity.
The overwhelming majority of diplomats show the utmost respect for the laws and regulations of the host country. But there have been notable violations of the law that have included espionage, narcotics smuggling, slavery, sexual exploitation of children and murder. And now, we can add steroid smuggling to the list of crimes committed by protected diplomats.
A diplomatic for a European Union country was caught attempting to smuggle dozens of kilograms of raw anabolic steroid powder into Israel on February 4, 2015. The EU diplomat was attempting to enter the West Bank from Jordan across the Allenby / King Hussein Bridge. A search of the vehicle uncovered steroids along with pure gold bricks, jewelry and hundreds of smartphones.
The contraband had an estimated value of 10 million Israeli Shequel (ILS) or $2.5 million USD. Both the EU diplomat and his driver were taken into custody. Given that the EU diplomat had diplomatic immunity, he was quickly released.
The abuse of diplomatic immunity for smuggling narcotics is not unusual. This has been a known problem particularly in South and Central America particularly for drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. But the Israeli case likely represents the first time that a protected diplomat has been caught smuggling anabolic steroids.
The Israeli investigation will most likely confirm that the protected diplomat violated Israeli laws prohibiting the illegal importation of drugs and/or anabolic steroids. While the diplomat will not face criminal charges, Israel will likely inform the diplomat's home country that he is no longer welcome in Israel (perrsona non grata).
The legal predicament for the driver is another story entirely. The driver is an Israeli resident living outside of North Jerusalem. He was arrested and detained until at least Sunday pending an investigation by the Israeli Customs Authority. He could face time in jail for his role in the crime.
The steroid bust is a major blow to the steroid UGL operating in Israel that was the intended recipient of the steroid shipment. It remains to be seen if Israeli investigators will succeed in extracting in further information regarding the Israeli-based steroid manufacturing operation.
Source:
Jerusalem Post. (February 4, 2016). Smuggled gold bars and steroids uncovered in EU diplomat's car at Israel-Jordan border. Retrieved from Smuggled gold bars and steroids uncovered in EU diplomat's car at Israel-Jordan border - Israel News - Jerusalem Post
The overwhelming majority of diplomats show the utmost respect for the laws and regulations of the host country. But there have been notable violations of the law that have included espionage, narcotics smuggling, slavery, sexual exploitation of children and murder. And now, we can add steroid smuggling to the list of crimes committed by protected diplomats.
A diplomatic for a European Union country was caught attempting to smuggle dozens of kilograms of raw anabolic steroid powder into Israel on February 4, 2015. The EU diplomat was attempting to enter the West Bank from Jordan across the Allenby / King Hussein Bridge. A search of the vehicle uncovered steroids along with pure gold bricks, jewelry and hundreds of smartphones.
The contraband had an estimated value of 10 million Israeli Shequel (ILS) or $2.5 million USD. Both the EU diplomat and his driver were taken into custody. Given that the EU diplomat had diplomatic immunity, he was quickly released.
The abuse of diplomatic immunity for smuggling narcotics is not unusual. This has been a known problem particularly in South and Central America particularly for drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. But the Israeli case likely represents the first time that a protected diplomat has been caught smuggling anabolic steroids.
The Israeli investigation will most likely confirm that the protected diplomat violated Israeli laws prohibiting the illegal importation of drugs and/or anabolic steroids. While the diplomat will not face criminal charges, Israel will likely inform the diplomat's home country that he is no longer welcome in Israel (perrsona non grata).
The legal predicament for the driver is another story entirely. The driver is an Israeli resident living outside of North Jerusalem. He was arrested and detained until at least Sunday pending an investigation by the Israeli Customs Authority. He could face time in jail for his role in the crime.
The steroid bust is a major blow to the steroid UGL operating in Israel that was the intended recipient of the steroid shipment. It remains to be seen if Israeli investigators will succeed in extracting in further information regarding the Israeli-based steroid manufacturing operation.
Source:
Jerusalem Post. (February 4, 2016). Smuggled gold bars and steroids uncovered in EU diplomat's car at Israel-Jordan border. Retrieved from Smuggled gold bars and steroids uncovered in EU diplomat's car at Israel-Jordan border - Israel News - Jerusalem Post
