"Pink Suitcases": When a Serious Crime Becomes an Instagram Trend

The story that awakened the country in January 2023 returned to center stage in the true-crime docuseries "Pink Suitcases" (yes), by creators Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan. At the heart of the drama are four young Israeli women in their 20s: Arbel Mizrahi, Orel Ben Haim, Idan Tzauber, and Lee Pony. They were caught at Ben Gurion Airport carrying about 15 to 20 kilograms of hard drugs (cocaine and ketamine) concealed in PlayStation packaging, shampoo bottles, and innocent consumer products.

The story, which connected party culture, social media, and the world of organized crime, presented an apparently "perfect" victim: normative young women from good homes, with no criminal record, who were drawn into the world of drug smuggling.

For Arbel Mizrahi, who was considered the "brains" behind the group, the path downward began early. As a young woman from a wealthy home who got involved with drug addiction, difficulties in a jewelry business, and after her parents stopped supporting her, she found herself looking for easy money. Offers received at nature parties led to an apparently well-oiled smuggling network, in which the girls flew with an unusual frequency of about five times a month to enjoy themselves abroad.

However, despite the dramatic shell, the series raises difficult questions regarding the way the affair is presented. Alongside the cool soundtrack and sparkling visual images, the shots showing daily drug use and the stormy life almost give the serious crime a sexy and attractive aura, while blurring the real low point in which they were.

One of the main criticisms of the work is the fact that it avoids investigating the big picture in depth. Instead of providing answers to the question of why the Israel Police settled for catching the couriers at customs rather than reaching the senior operators, the series remains mostly at the level of personal confession. Furthermore, the attempt to explain the actions through generic teenage feelings of not belonging struggles to hold up over three episodes, especially when the data shows that the senders exploited the girls' lack of understanding and paid them meager sums compared to the real market value of the drugs.

Out of the four involved, only two, Arbel Mizrahi and Orel Ben Haim, chose to be interviewed on camera. The absence of the other two is prominent and raises the question of whether they understood the severity of their actions, especially against the background of outrageous clips in which Orel Ben Haim is seen continuing to walk at Ben Gurion Airport when her friend Idan is caught, without showing remorse or concern.

The general approach of the interviewees, who talk about smuggling tens of kilograms of hard drugs with lightheadedness as if it were a petty theft, creates a sharp sense of detachment for the viewer.

Alongside the criticism of the content, the series manages to create a tense pace thanks to high production quality, the use of security footage, and plot twists in the final episode, which reveal that the complexity and sophistication of the couriers were much greater than they claimed in the plea bargains.

However, the reality after imprisonment raises serious ethical questions. Reports of the girls connecting with other famous prisoners like Carmel Mauda, and their aspiration to leverage the negative publicity to become social media influencers, sell coupon codes, and even integrate into reality shows, present a bleak Israeli phenomenon in which serious crime can become a springboard for fame. In short, if Shashi Gaz were their lawyer, it would only say how serious the affair was, and how much money they had to pay to get themselves out of it.