Last update - 00:00 16/01/2007
U.S. court sentences Israeli druglord to 12-years in prison
By Roni Singer-Heruti and Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondents
A Miami court approved on Tuesday a plea deal between reputed crime boss Ze'ev Rosenstein and U.S. prosecutors, and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
Rosenstein plead guilty to conspiring to smuggle 700,000 Ecstasy pills from Europe into the United States. He will serve his sentence in Israel and his property will not be confiscated.
"Now we must return him to Israel as soon as possible," Rosenstein's attorney, Keren Nahari, said Tuesday. "I believe it will happen within two weeks."
Once in Israel, Rosenstein is expected to admit in court to hiring Colombian mercenaries to target members of the Alperon family, also considered crime kingpins. For that, Rosenstein will be sentenced to three years in prison, to be served concurrently with his 12-year sentence.
The plea agreement was signed and approved after a month of intensive negotiations between Rosenstein's attorneys, American prosecutors and the Justice Ministry in Israel. The deal was struck roughly a week before his trial was scheduled to begin.
Rosenstein is expected to serve only six to nine years, with possible time off for good behavior.