Japan sentences Hasidic Israeli to 8 years after Ecstasy bust

This incident has surprised many in the Satmar Hasidic ultra-orthodox community. The teen was the youngest of three yeshiva students arrested three years ago. They attempted to enter Japan with three large suitcases containing a huge amount of Ecstasy pills. The Japanese court sentenced the Israeli teen to eight years in prison for smuggling charges. The other two yeshiva students, Yoel Goldstein and Yaakov Yosef Grinwald, will face separate trials. Goldstein, Grinwald and the unnamed teen were arrested in April 2008 at Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan after they took a flight from Amsterdam. Japanese custom officials found 90,000 Ecstasy pills in the three suitcases. There are two more suspects in this case; Haim Roter has fled to Europe and the other Ben Zion Miller was arrested by the Israeli police in February. Both are from the same Satmar Hasidic community, Police believe Miller worked for an Israeli criminal group and may be connected to the notorious Abergil family.