U.S. Report

Alleged smugglers of Ecstasy sent to U.S.

MIAMI (JTA) -- Two accused Ecstasy smugglers have been extradited from Israel to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges.

Meir Ben David and Josef Levi were indicted in October 2000 on charges of possession and conspiracy to import Ecstasy into the United States. U.S. officials said it was the first time Israelis had been extradited to the United States to face drug charges.

Officials said the two were part of an Israeli syndicate that used couriers to smuggle large quantities of Ecstasy from Europe to the United States from early 1998 until mid-1999. U.S. agents seized about 200,000 Ecstasy tablets and $400,000 in cash during the investigation, in which 40 people were indicted, officials said.

Ben David is charged with coordinating shipments of Ecstasy from Europe to the United States, and Levi with helping distribute the drug at nightclubs in south Florida.