Israeli police have stopped a large Israeli crime group. The group was thought to be working from northern Cyprus. This happened after a long police operation. Matan Arviv is a main person in this case. He is an Israeli man. Police think he is now hiding in the north. He is accused of many crimes. These include selling drugs, money fraud, and money laundering. The Cyprus News Agency said this on Tuesday. The police found that the crime went outside of Israel.
An undercover agent worked for the police. He joined Arviv's group for a year. He gathered secret information. He took part in 57 deals. These deals involved moving illegal drugs and weapons. They also involved fake papers. The agent collected a lot of proof. This proof shows they did violent crimes. These include kidnapping and shooting.
Sixty people were arrested. This includes Arviv's three brothers. However, Matan Arviv was not caught. Police believe he went to northern Cyprus. This area is sometimes called the "occupied areas." It is thought that Arviv left Israel after the arrests. He may feel safer there. This makes people worry about Israeli criminals using this area.
The Times of Israel wrote about the undercover agent. He helped expose the group. Matan Arviv is from Handera, Israel. He is now a main target for police. The idea that crime is directed from northern Cyprus is a big problem. It creates security questions. It is hard for police to catch criminals in different countries.
This case shows how smart criminal groups are. It also shows that areas with unclear control can be used for crime. Israeli news has talked a lot about this. They focus on the number of arrests. They also focus on Matan Arviv being hard to find. Police will try to get him back. They want to stop this criminal group. This is a big problem for police in Israel and Cyprus.