Satmar Drug Smuggler Gets Off

One of the Satmar yeshiva students caught smuggling drugs into Japan has been found not guilty. The judge believed the yeshiva student's story that he thought the bag contained antiques, not drugs.

Yoel Zev Goldstein in prison

According to Behadrei Haredim, Yoel Zev Goldstein will soon be free.

Yoel Zev Goldstein is still in custody, however, because he doesn't have a valid visa and has to wait until one is issued before he leaves prison.

That should take about a week.

Goldstein and other Satmar yeshiva students smuggled bags that they claim they thought contained antiques into Japan.

They were caught and the bags turned out to contain $3.6 million of illegal drugs.

The bags were given to them by a man who was an aide to one of the two Satmar rebbes.

Unlike his mules, the brains of the operation was convicted, but Japan allowed him to serve most of his sentence in an Israeli prison.

President Shimon Peres commuted his sentence to time served him long before his sentence was supposed to end, angering Japan.

The plight of the Satmar yeshiva drug mules has been a cause celebré in the haredi world, with leading haredi rabbis and activists working to free them.

Large amounts of money was raised for their defense, and a music video highlighting their plight was produced.

[Hat Tip: Burich.]

Comments

[Justice Prevails (or does it?)]

R' Shmarya,

Chalk one up for the "Good Guys".

Is this guy a drug smuggler even though he was found innocent?

Then maybe Rubashkin is really innocent.

[Adam Neira]

Well this is good news. Yoel Zev Goldstein will be very happy to get home I'm sure. The Japanese judicial system is very thorough. Anyone would be mad to try and import drugs into the country. Whne people travel they must endeavour to be good ambassadors for their home nation. We can relax more at home but when in Kyoto do as Kyotans do.

[Adam Neira]

To Justice Prevails (or does it?)

You are not much chop at jurisprudence are you ?

Mar Samuel stated in his interpretation of Jeremiah's prophecies that we are commanded to "Seek the welfare of the nation you dwell in !'. i.e. The better the patriot the better the Jew. this also applies when travelling to another country. If the Japanese courts found Yoel Zev Goldstein not guilty and there was no coercion from outside parties so be it.

A little lesson in jurisprudence for you...

Jonathon Pollard broke very serious laws in his home nation.

Sholom Rubashkin broke serious laws in his home nation.

Gilad Shalit in service of his country was kidnapped.

In matters of jurisprudence, the three cases are entirely different.

When the full Messianic Age is upon us no-one will be left to languish in prison. However, as we are in the early days of this unfolding certain laws have to be respected, and certain decisions must be adhered to. I think prison should be reserved for only the most serious of crimes, and the death penalty should apply for child sexual abuse, rape, murder and terrorism.

[Dr. Dave]

The lesson to be learned here is:

Don't carry anything on a plane that you have not personally packed or examined!

[Adam Neira]

To Dr.Dave,

Correct !

[Justice Prevails (or does it?)]

R' Adam,

I am in total agreement with you. The point that I tried (perhaps not succeeding) to our esteemed R' Shmarya was, either we accept the rulings of the courts or we don't.

This Bochur was an alleged drug smuggler until today. Now he was found not guilty.

Rubashkin was an alleged ..... etc and he was found guilty.

[Adam Neira]

To Justice Prevails (or does it?),

Your point ?

Why are you throwing the Rubashkin case in as a red herring ?

Some court rulings can be challenged. That's why there is an appeals process. I'm not sure how the Japanese system works, but i do know that drug smugglers in the Meiji period were decapitated with a sword. A judiciary is only as good as the precedents made and formed. Jurisprudence also changes over time in a society. When you travel or live in another country you abide by the laws. If the laws are wrong you can challenge them. If the judiciary is gunning for you then you don’t have much of a chance. Messianic jurisprudence is an interesting subject. When you travel or live in another country you abide by the laws. If the laws are wrong you can challenge them. If the judiciary is gunning for you then you don’t have much of a chance.

[Justice Prevails (or does it?)]

My only point is:

The title, "Satmar Drug Smuggler Gets Off" is wrong!
The boy is no longer even an alleged drug smuggler. He was declared not guilty, period.

[Adam Neira]

To Justice Prevails (or does it?),

Were they charged in a court of law and convicted and then an appeal got them off ?

Are you a pedant ?

[Isa]

In Malaysia they would have gotten hung by now.

Actually that did happen to an Israeli once.

The word gets around that in Malaysia, the rope gets bought before they have a 'fair trial'.

[Adam Neira]

To Isa,

No the Malaysians will only impose a death penalty for the most severe of cases. Singapore is similar. Indonesia doesn't impose the death penalty that often based on the total number of cases presented in their courts. The Bali Nine's cases are still up in the air. Shappelle Corby recently had her sentence commuted. I spent thirteen months traveling through all three countries, mainly Indo. Obviously mistakes in the judicial process are made but the percentage is very low.

Again you must be very careful when you travel.

[Shimon from Jerusalem]

ShMarya-the gangster"s grandson-does it again.He was accused and aquited.If you were not so full of hate you could have said accused drug carrier.You are not interested in reporting news but to vilify any orthodox Jew you can.The more charedi the better.Since you probably benefited from your mother-daughter of a mobster-you probably have Jewish mob connections.This type of accusation is consistant with your outlook on this site!

[ultra haredi lite]

Unnecessary malice - almost like shucks I can't believe we lost one fish.

[Adam Neira]

To Shimon from Jerusalem,

I am not familiar with the case.

Did it go to trial ?

P.S. Casting aspersions on someone based on their family is adolescent behaviour. We don't choose our family. There are three agents in the creation of a child : The Father; The Mother and G-d. The idea that we will be punished for the sins of the father and that things can go on for generations is not true if a cycle is broken. Apart from this elucidation for you, I have no knowledge of Shmarya's family background and I am not really interested in dredging up dirt on people. Geneology is a pet subject of mine however.

[Adam Neira]

To UHL,

"Unnecessary malice - almost like shucks I can't believe we lost one fish."

You are a bit of a poet. This sounds like the start of a rap song. Does Yochanan Lavie know about your treading on his songwriting turf ?

[R. Wisler]

What about the fact that these guys thought they were smuggling antiques or whatever?

[george]

Has the prosecution announced that it is not going to appeal?

[Adam Neira]

To R.Wisler,

An interesting case for sure.

To George,

Prosecutions usually announce when they ARE going to appeal otherwise their silence is telling.

[seymour]

The lesson to be learned here is:

Don't carry anything on a plane that you have not personally packed or examined!

Posted by: Dr. Dave | August 29, 2011 at 05:22 AM

this story does not indicate that. This boys got a free trip to japan by a satmer chusid the satmar chusid told them they were smuggling antiques into the country.

a completely different story

to the idiots who say he was found not guilty therefore he was not smuggling drugs read the story

they he was found not guilty of knowingly smuggling drugs. but drugs he did smuggle

[Dr. Dave]

Seymour -

Sorry, you are correct. I misread the story.

I thought that they were merely carrying antiquities with them, not smuggling them.

They are then smugglers. Just not drug smugglers.

(but still a good idea to check the bags)

[jancsipista]

Shimon from Jerusalem- you fool it takes a hater to know a hater youre even worse then the person youre accusing of hate and you suppose to be religious? di farrikter beheime.

[seymour]

What about the fact that these guys thought they were smuggling antiques or whatever?

Posted by: R. Wisler | August 29, 2011 at 07:17 AM

don't you know the whole world agrees if you are frum you get off since they study Torah unless it is really bad like drug smuggling

[jancsipista]

what about the hillel hashem they caused are they innocent of that also?

[Cynthialstern]

Sounds like "Holly Rollers, Part Deux."

[Cynthialstern]

Apologies for the mis-spelling. I was referring to the (fairly recent) film "Holy Rollers."

[george]

Other sites state that the presiding judge for this third case had been replaced in mid-trial. The original judge had a reputation of being harsher. As example, the original judge (unlike the new judge) did not allow an extension of the trial to give defense time to bring additional witnesses and evidence.

[Deremes]

"The bags were given to them by a man who was an aide to one of the two Satmar rebbes."

As accurate as all posts regarding the hurricane about frum Jews.

Both Satmar rebbes reside in the USA and the "aid" resides in Israel. As usual on FM if a hassid is caught with a crime hes crowend a "Rabbi" if not then its an aid to a reebee.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Deremes | August 29, 2011 at 01:52 PM

I don't have time to do it now, but if you search this site, you'll find a picture posted of him with one of the two Satmar Rebbes (I forget which one), with details about the time he served as aide to the Rebbe.

[Deremes]

No need to search for the picture becuase i saw that picture a while back.It is the Rebbe from Monroe if you care to know. And being in a picture with a Rebbe does not mean that he is or was an aid.

[Shmarya]

No need to search for the picture becuase i saw that picture a while back.It is the Rebbe from Monroe if you care to know. And being in a picture with a Rebbe does not mean that he is or was an aid.

Posted by: Deremes | August 29, 2011 at 02:32 PM

Except that he was.

[Common Sense]

The article entitled "Satmar drug smuggler gets off" sounds like a great name for a kimky porn flick...Shmarya, I can't help but notice the choice of words, gets off...I love it.

[nobody]

Since the Japanese court has determined that he is not guilty of smuggling drugs, your headline labeling him a "drug smuggler" is slanderous.

[Bfeirush in Fartscroll]

Wouldn't it be more accurate to make the headline, "ANTIQUES SMUGGLER SLASH REALLY STUPID AND NAIVE PUTZ GETS OFF."

[Adams]

Yeah sure they are so pure and innocent that they wouldn't check a suitcase that someone else gave them, sure. Yeah sure they never heard of Amsterdam and drugs,sure.
How much money has been spent on getting them off? When there are fine people who are impoverished and programs cut to buy them off. I am glad other people haven't bought this bullshit story of theirs. I thought I was the only weirdi.

[ultra haredi lite]

Bfeirush,
But that would defeat Shmaryas raison d'etre.

[Shimon from Jerusalem]

Shimon from Jerusalem- you fool it takes a hater to know a hater youre even worse then the person youre accusing of hate and you suppose to be religious? di farrikter beheime.

Posted by: jancsipista | August 29, 2011 at 09:15 AM

My dera friend I do not hate anyone ;I am merely using shmarya's style.Since you are obviously a person of greta love,"di farikte beheme is uncalled for.

[Satmar Kiryas Joel]

To Deremes: happens to be that Shmarya is Right this time!!!!!!
beznty miller was the driver in israel of satmar rabbi of monroe, he stood inback of him as a gabbi (aid) when aron was feering tish in jerusalem this is a photo of havdula motze shabbos. See these 2 articles:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2010/09/bentzion-miller-convicted-in-drug-smuggling-scheme-456.html

Here he was Freed from Prison early does it mean he is not a drug smugler anymore:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2011/05/satmar-drug-smuggler-to-be-released-from-prison-567.html

[SimanTov]

Leave these poor kids alone. Haven't they suffered enough? What if they read this? You would be making them feel awful bad and that's avayros.

[Phil]

Shmarya, You are one sick Bastard I don't believe there is room in Hell for people like you.

[charlie runkel]

didnt you know since hes religious he must have been a drug dealer shmarya your a idiot