JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two Israeli brothers suspected of involvement in organized crime were extradited to the United States.
Meir and Yitzhak Abergil boarded a U.S. government plane Wednesday afternoon accompanied by American federal marshals. The United States requested their extradition more than two years ago on charges of money laundering, extortion and drug trafficking. They also are accused of killing a drug dealer.
Three other Israelis also were extradited Wednesday on the same charges. They were indicted in 2008 by a California court following a six-year police investigation in several countries.
If the Abergils are convicted and sentenced to jail, they will be permitted to serve out their time in an Israeli prison, according to reports.
U.S. prosecutors have called Yitzhak Abergil one of the major importers of narcotics into the country, according to The Jerusalem Post.
