A court in Krakow has released on bail two Haredi women from Israel, aged 23 and 24, who spent three and a half months in detention after they were caught with 100 kilograms of khat at a Polish airport.
The women were arrested on June 19 as soon as they landed on a flight from Israel, with the khat split equally between their suitcases. Khat is classified as an illegal drug under Polish and European Union law, and smuggling it is treated as a serious offense.
The judge ruled that the women do not pose a danger to the public but imposed strict conditions. They must report to police weekly and are barred from leaving Poland until the case is over.
Their Polish attorney, Wit Steidler, said the amount seized is considered very large under Polish law and that a conviction could bring a prison sentence of three to 23 years. He said he was surprised by the decision himself, but that the defense had convinced the judge there was no reason to keep holding the women in isolation, noting that this was their first brush with the law.
"They did a foolish thing and there is no point in keeping them in isolation," Steidler said, adding that his request for bail under police supervision was granted in full.
The case reflects a wider pattern of criminal groups exploiting young Israelis to smuggle khat into Europe, where demand is high, particularly among Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant communities. Recruiters in Israel often target young people from the Haredi community, offering a free flight and around 5,000 shekels to carry suitcases that typically weigh 40 to 80 kilograms.
Recruiters commonly tell them that if they are caught, the worst outcome is a small fine or a confiscated suitcase. In reality, Poland is one of the strictest countries in Europe on khat smuggling, and authorities use lengthy pre-trial detention as a deterrent before cases even reach trial.
For those detained, the experience can be traumatic: harsh conditions in a foreign prison, a language barrier, separation from family and, for religious detainees, a daily struggle to get kosher food.
Israeli attorney Mordechai Tzivin, who specializes in representing Israelis facing criminal cases abroad, also worked on the case. Tzivin volunteered to represent one of the women alongside Steidler.
Tzivin thanked Polish authorities for what he described as humane and considerate treatment of his client. He said they understood the complexity of the case and recognized that many circumstances justified leniency, despite the serious charges the women still face.
