ISRAELI 'AL CAPONE' IN LAUDERDALE COURT ON CHARGES HE HEADED DRUG
TRAFFICKING RING

The man Israelis liken to gangster Al Capone appeared in Fort
Lauderdale federal court Tuesday on charges that he imported more than
1 million Ecstasy pills into the United States for distribution in
Miami and New York.

A federal grand jury in Miami indicted alleged Israeli crime boss
Ze'ev Rosenstein in 2004. Federal prosecutors claim he headed a drug
trafficking ring spanning four continents and orchestrated the
delivery of 700,000 Ecstasy pills seized in a New York apartment in
2001.

At a news conference announcing Rosenstein's extradition from Israel
to the United States, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta called
Rosenstein one of the world's worst drug offenders.

"By prosecuting these cartels and the heads of these cartels, in one
strike we clean up the streets," Acosta said.

Acosta said the charges against Rosenstein involve illegal acts in
Israel, Europe, South America and the United States.

Rosenstein's lawyer, Howard Srebnick, called the government's case
against the 51-year-old Israeli weak, saying it relies on "snitches."

"I am told that not one U.S. police officer, not one Israeli police
officer will testify that Mr. Rosenstein had anything to do with these
drug shipments," Srebnick said. "It's all going to come down to what
these snitches want to tell as their story."

The federal charges against Rosenstein link him to a 2001 drug bust in
New York City. According to documents filed in the case, an informant
working with the New York City Police Department arranged to purchase
65,000 Ecstasy pills for $393,000 from individuals working for Rosenstein.

When police searched the Manhattan apartment where the drugs were
stashed, they discovered the 700,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Court papers refer to tape-recorded conversations between some of the
participants in the deal, but Srebnick said those calls do not involve
Rosenstein.

Acosta said he is confident of the evidence against
Rosenstein.

Rosenstein arrived in court after a 20-hour flight from Israel.
Srebnick complained to U.S. Magistrate Barry Seltzer that Rosenstein
had been unable to eat in all that time because he eats only kosher
food. Seltzer scheduled Rosenstein's bond hearing and arraignment for
March 28.

After the hearing, Srebnick conveyed a message from Rosenstein. The
words, translated from Hebrew, play off a traditional expression said
by Jews at the end of the Passover Seder: "This year a prisoner in
Miami; next year a free man in Israel."

Rosenstein is on the maximum-security floor of Miami's Federal
Detention Center. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Rosenstein, a high-profile figure in Israeli organized crime, has
evaded Israeli law enforcement except for one short prison stretch and
is rumored to have survived multiple assassination attempts by rivals.
Israel's Supreme Court approved his extradition to the United States
in November.