Israeli Drug Trafficking in the Shadow of the Dalai Lama

Ramesh (imaginary name), a native of Kasol village in Kullu valley speaks fluent Hebrew! In fact, almost every villager in this small hamlet speaks Hebrew.

This may appear strange as folks who can’t even speak English properly can speak fluent Hebrew. This development has a startling backdrop as over the last few decades Israelis have been frequent visitors to the place and around 3,000 of them have made this village their permanent home. It was not the beauty of the place that allured these Israelis, rather it was cannabis that led them here.

Today, growing cannabis is a flourishing trade in the valley and the natives of Kasol are partners in this crime. Learning Hebrew, of course, followed naturally. Hebrew provides locals money… pots of it and all illegal.

An Israeli, name concealed, reveals about the trade: “Kutla, a remote village in Parvati Valley when approached via Manikaran is the hub of charas cultivation. Police have little access here and people work fearlessly. On an acre of land foreigners can cultivate up to 40 kg of charas for just Rs 10,000. Cheap Nepali labour is available to make things easier as villages like Malana, Kasol and Tosh compete for higher production”.  Full Story

Other news:
Charas Trail in the Himachal
Valley of Shadows