The change of government in Israel halted efforts by Russian organized crime to get close to Israeli officials, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported Wednesday. The paper cited police reports that these efforts “ripened” during the government of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Senior police officials were quoted as saying that since the arrest and conviction in Israel of Gregory Lerner, considered a senior figure in Russian organized crime, mob activities in Israel dropped sharply because it was no longer considered an address for money laundering and smuggling.
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