Jerusalem Indictment Filed Over Baby Food Poisoning Case
Jerusalem prosecutors filed an indictment against a Beersheba man for spiking baby food jars with psychiatric drugs, poisoning five toddlers who required emergency hospitalization.
The Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office filed a severe indictment at the Jerusalem District Court against 41-year-old Yan Gerard Simla from Beersheba. He is accused of intentionally tampering with baby food jars by introducing dangerous prescription drugs and placing them on supermarket shelves in Jerusalem.
Indictment Details and Dangerous Substances
According to the indictment, Simla possessed psychiatric prescription medications belonging to the benzodiazepine family, such as Clonex, Valium, and Lorivan, which are strictly prohibited for children without neurological authorization. During May and June 2026, he crushed approximately 17 or more pills and mixed them into "Prinok" fruit and vegetable baby puree jars. He then placed the tainted jars on the shelves of several "Zol VeGadol" supermarket branches in the capital, including locations near the Mahane Yehuda market and the Central Bus Station.
Hospitalization of Toddlers
This deliberate act resulted in severe harm to at least five toddlers whose mothers innocently purchased the jars and fed them to their children. The victims, aged between eight months and three and a half years, collapsed shortly after consuming the puree.
The toddlers suffered from altered consciousness, extreme weakness, loss of muscle tone, paleness, and confusion, falling unconscious without the ability to respond. They were rushed by ambulances to the emergency room at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where they were hospitalized in serious condition.
Blood tests revealed pathological levels of benzodiazepine poisoning, ranging from seven to ten times the normal limit. One of the infants suffered a sharp drop in blood oxygen levels down to 84%.
Serious Legal Charges
The indictment attributes multiple severe offenses to Simla, including five counts of using and attempting to use a dangerous poison, and five counts of assaulting a minor or helpless person. Additionally, he is charged with theft for taking the products from the supermarkets without paying before returning them tampered with.
The prosecution has requested the court to impose a heavy prison sentence upon conviction, following closure orders issued to the involved supermarket branches in June due to public health concerns.
