Suspects Arrested for Stealing Over a Ton of Watermelons in the Galilee
Police forces arrested two suspects last week, including an illegal resident, who loaded over a ton of watermelons into their vehicle from an agricultural field near Ein HaMifratz. A herd of about 300 sheep was also brought onto the site, causing heavy damage to the crops. Indictments were filed against the two this morning.
Indictments were filed this morning, Tuesday, against two people arrested on suspicion of stealing over a ton of watermelons and causing heavy damage to an agricultural field near Ein HaMifratz.
The arrest was carried out last week, on August 5, following a report by a farmer to the Border Police (Magav) Hof district settlement unit regarding suspects who invaded his land with a large herd of sheep and caused damage to the crops.
Border Police officers who arrived at the scene set up surveillance and identified two suspects picking watermelons and loading them into a vehicle, while a herd of about 300 sheep grazed within the agricultural crops. The officers raided the site and arrested the two on the spot.
Over a ton of stolen watermelons
Upon inspecting the vehicle, a huge quantity of agricultural produce was located. In a weighing conducted later, it turned out that the weight of the stolen watermelons was 1,014.5 kg. The damage to the produce and the land is estimated at thousands of shekels.
Checking the identities of the detainees revealed that one of them is an illegal resident from the territories. The second suspect is accused of employing and transporting him, alongside the trespassing, causing damage, and stealing the crop. The owner of the herd was issued an administrative fine of 150,000 NIS for the sheep's invasion of the agricultural land, and the vehicle used to commit the offenses was seized by the police.
