WATCH: Prosecutors move to indict Beersheba man in sedative-laced baby food case
Yan Shemla is suspected of contaminating jars of Prinok fruit puree that were linked to the hospitalization of at least four children in Jerusalem earlier this year.
On Thursday, prosecutors were set to notify a court of their intent to indict Yan Shemla, a 41-year-old man from Beersheba, Israel, who is suspected of intentionally adding sedative drugs to baby fruit purees sold in Jerusalem, according to police. Police plan to request that Shemla be held in custody for an additional five days as they prepare to file the indictment. This marks the final stage in the investigation leading up to the filing of charges.
Shemla is suspected of tampering with jars of Prinok fruit puree, which were linked to at least four children's hospitalization in Jerusalem earlier this year due to unusual weakness, drowsiness, and apathy. The investigation was brought to light in June when the children were taken to Hadassah-University Medical Center in Ein Kerem. Tests revealed the presence of benzodiazepines in their blood, with Health Ministry laboratory tests identifying the sedative drugs clonazepam and lorazepam in the contaminated puree.
The affected products were sold at two branches of the Zol VeGadol supermarket chain in Jerusalem. The Health Ministry had previously issued closure orders against both stores but did not order a blanket recall of Prinok products, stating that the evidence pointed to a localized incident. Police stated that they had reviewed hundreds of hours of security camera footage from various locations and utilized technological tools to identify Shemla.
Initially, investigators had no clear lead as hundreds of people passed through the locations daily, and the suspect had no prior connection to the children or the products. Police subsequently placed Shemla under covert surveillance, tracking his movements and routine until they believed they had enough evidence to arrest him at his home.
Police also released security camera footage on Thursday showing Shemla inside a supermarket around the time of the alleged acts, though the footage does not depict substances being placed inside the jars.
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) supported the investigation. The announcement on Thursday did not identify a suspected motive or state that the case was being treated as terrorism.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
