Colombia After 2 Israelis Accused of Aiding Cartels

A judge has ordered arrest warrants for a former Israeli army colonel and an Israeli civilian alleged to have trained hit squads for Colombian drug cartels, officials said today.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Security said a 3rd Circuit Court judge issued the order Monday and it was passed to Interpol, the international police organization.

The arrest order for Yair Klein, a reserve lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army, came a month after Colombian media reported that he and others trained gunmen for the cocaine cartels.

Said He Trained Farmers

Klein, now home in Tel Aviv, has said he trained Colombian farmers to protect themselves against leftist guerrillas. He said that if the men he trained were involved in drugs, he was not aware of it.

Klein was the subject of a police investigation in Israel along with five other Israelis suspected of training gunmen for Colombian drug lords. The investigation was completed Sept. 8, but police have not disclosed their findings and Klein has not been charged.

In Jerusalem, a Foreign Ministry official said Israel has no extradition treaty with Colombia. The official said Israel had received no official communications from Colombia regarding charges against Israelis.

The Colombian spokeswoman, Diva Rojas, said a second warrant was issued for Arik Acek, another Israeli who she said allegedly helped Klein leave Colombia. She identified Acek as a civilian who had an arms business in Israel and flower shops in the United States.

“They are wanted for violating laws against conspiring, teaching and enlisting civilians in military operations without the approval of the Defense Ministry,” Rojas said.

‘Didn’t Flee Colombia’

She said the two are believed to have entered Colombia in August, 1988, and to have left earlier this year after reports surfaced of foreign mercenaries training hit squads for the Medellin and Cali drug cartels.

Reached in Tel Aviv today, Klein said: “I didn’t flee Colombia. I left legally with an exit stamp on my passport.” Klein identified Acek as a friend who helped him with Spanish translation in Colombia.

Drug traffickers have used their private armies to kill more than 1,000 Colombian leftists in the last four years. The cartels are also waging a violent war with the government.