NewsBriefs BUTTONS


10 Years and 5,000 Miles for 3 Ounce Cocaine Conviction

LAW ENFORCEMENT

July 1993

In a remarkable pursuit of a relatively low-level drug offender, Suffolk County, New York officials flew to Israel to prosecute a man on 10-year-old charges involving sale of three ounces of cocaine (Peter Marks, "10 Years And 5,000 Miles For A Drug Conviction," New York Times, 6/25/93, B5).

Because the trial ended in a conviction in an Israeli court, prosecutors saw it as a success. "It's a very satisfying end to a long, long trail," commented Suffolk County District Attorney James M. Catterson, Jr. Catterson and chief assistant district attorney Mark Cohen flew to Tel Aviv to assist their Israeli counterparts in the three-day trial of Isaac Kirman.

Kirman, an Israeli, had fled to Israel from New York 10 years earlier after being charged with selling three ounces of cocaine. He was stopped last year in Israel on a traffic violation. When a check revealed the outstanding warrant from Suffolk County, Israeli police notified officials in Suffolk County, who then chose to pursue the case.