The Underworld Banker: The Economic Brain Who Became the Boss of the South
After the murder of Benny Shlomo, the financial operative took the lead. Nagar's controversial move — a reconciliation with his sworn enemies from the Lavi family — turned members of his own crime organization against him, as they refuse to accept his authority.
In recent years, and especially since the liquidation of Benny Shlomo in October 2022, Eyal Nagar — who was considered one of the senior figures in Shlomo's organization — has become one of the most prominent figures on the crime map in the South. According to law enforcement and sources in the criminal world, Nagar has managed to establish an independent and significant status for himself, mainly in the Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, and Lachish areas.
Nagar, originally a resident of Petah Tikva and later Rehovot, began his path in the criminal world at a relatively young age, and within a few years managed to enter the "big leagues." For a long time, he operated in the shadow of Benny Shlomo, who was considered one of the most powerful crime organization heads in the South, and was among his closest associates.
In the police and among sources in the criminal world, Nagar was considered Shlomo's right-hand man and his financial operative. As far as is known, he was involved in managing the cash flow and various accounts used by the organization, some of which were suspected of being channels for money laundering. During those years, Shlomo's organization operated against many rivals, including elements identified with the Russian mafia led by Michael Tansky. According to sources familiar with the details, attempts were also made to harm Nagar and his family members, but without success.
The liquidation of Benny Shlomo in 2022 changed the balance of power in the South. The murder created a significant vacuum, and Nagar was among the figures who tried — and to a large extent succeeded — to fill it.
From Number 2 to Head of an Independent Power Center
After Shlomo's death, Nagar began to operate more independently, and the police today view him as the head of an independent power center and a significant player marked as a primary target of the Southern District. To establish his status and protect himself from Benny Shlomo's enemies, Nagar joined forces with some of the organization's greatest rivals — led by brothers Amos and Ofir Lavi. This connection was particularly unusual, as the relationship between Nagar and the Lavi family had been characterized by deep rivalry over the years.
Their acquaintance began back in their childhood in Rehovot. Later, when Nagar moved to Benny Shlomo's camp, the Lavi brothers saw this as crossing the line, and according to sources in the criminal world, refused to forgive him for a long time. Over the years, the sides were on opposite sides of the barricades and were even linked to mutual attempts to harm each other.
However, after the liquidation of Benny Shlomo, reality changed. Nagar acted, like other figures in the criminal world after the fall of the organization's head, to create new alliances — even with those who until recently were his enemies. Ultimately, a reconciliation was recorded between him and the Lavi brothers, which led to a significant change in the balance of power in the region.
In the police, they initially treated this connection with skepticism, partly because alliances between rival criminal elements tend to be temporary. This assessment was strengthened by the fact that even elements within Benny Shlomo's organization did not accept Nagar's move and turned against him.
But in practice, the alliance between Nagar and the Lavi brothers held up. While the Lavi family somewhat faded from the spotlight and focused on their businesses, Nagar continued to establish his status in Ashdod and the South. Later, according to sources in the criminal world, he also strengthened his ties with elements identified with Georgian crime, who helped him maintain his power in the region.
The Remaining Rival: Shalom Domrani
After the alliance with the Lavi brothers and his strengthening in the Ashdod area, one of the main rivals remaining against Nagar is Shalom Domrani. As far as is known, no reconciliation was formed between the two that would allow for a connection or alliance. On the crime map of the South, this is a profound change: Nagar, who for years was number 2 in Benny Shlomo's organization, effectively became number 1 within the power center he built for himself — even if he is not officially defined or declared as the head of a crime organization.
In the police, over the years, suspicions of various crimes have been attributed to people identified with him, including extortion, protection racketeering, activity in the gray market, alleged money laundering, and an attempt to take over distribution and delivery sectors and businesses in the Ashdod area and its surroundings.
Alongside this, Nagar is considered by law enforcement to be a sophisticated and cautious figure who has managed over the years to deal with both attempts to harm him by rivals and police investigations. He has been arrested several times, but in some cases, the evidence against him did not ripen into an indictment. In the past, Nagar served a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence after being convicted of placing an explosive device in a vehicle belonging to the Lavi brothers in 2015 — a fact that illustrates how unusual the alliance formed between them years later is.
About a decade after that affair, Nagar was arrested together with his wife in Eilat after being involved in a mass brawl. That same year, his name was also linked to the "Chef Affair." According to the suspicion, Nagar threatened a customer who complained that a seat was not reserved for him at a restaurant where the chef is considered a close associate of Nagar. Later, according to the suspicion, Nagar arrived together with two of his friends at that customer's home. The indictment filed in the case included a crime of threats.
Ashdod as a Power Base
Nagar arrived in Ashdod after a period when he operated in Rehovot and was in conflict with the Lavi brothers. In the southern city, he joined Benny Shlomo, and the two managed over the years to build a significant power center that operated, according to law enforcement, to gain influence over sources of income, businesses, and resources in the city — while struggling against other criminal elements.
After Shlomo's liquidation, Nagar was left without the one considered the supreme leader of the organization. It was precisely at this point that he managed to make the move that redefined his status: he reconciled with the Lavi brothers, and the alliance between them allowed both sides to expand their influence in Ashdod. For Nagar, this was also a way to ensure protection for himself against rivals from within and without. Some of Benny Shlomo's men did not accept his leadership after the liquidation, and according to sources familiar with the details, there were those who acted against him from within the organization itself.
Thus, within a few years, Nagar managed to turn from a senior figure who operated in the shadow of Benny Shlomo into an independent player on the crime map of the South. The alliance with the Lavi brothers, the new connections he built, and the control he managed to maintain in the Ashdod area strengthened his status — and at the same time made him one of the primary targets of the Southern District Police.
