Heritage Florida Jewish News - Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Now here’s an episode for Breaking Bad.

In an “Only-in-Israel” moment, border police recently delayed hauling in a suspected drug dealer until he fulfilled the ancient Jewish ritual of seeing to his son’s brit mila (circumcision).

When a team of officers first arrived at the suspect’s residence in southern Israel, they were met at the front door by a 60-year-old woman and four children, who tried to stall the raid.

But police pulled out their search warrant, and busted down the door in order to search the premises, according to Israel’s Channel 2.

At this point, the typical police-raid-drug-den scenario went awry, and both Israeli in-your-face chutzpah, and accepted religious norms of the Jewish state came to fore.

The suspect in question had gone out food shopping for his son’s brit mila, coincidentally set for the same day and same hour as the raid.

The cops proceeded to cool their heels until he showed up a short time later, unawares, and toting bags of food and drink for the snack bar spread usually found at the festive event.

While the suspect immediately comprehended that “the jig was up,” he begged the police to hold off with the arrest until after the final cut.

The police agreed to the request, and respectfully stood by as the suspect’s son was “entered into the covenant of Abraham.”

But the cries of “Mazal Tov!” were no sooner uttered than the bust continued apace, and police confiscated over eight kilos of marijuana, 25 plants, tens of thousands of shekels in cash, and indoor growing equipment.

En route to the Beersheba police station, the suspect thanked the police for their forbearance.

“In the final analysis, you have to remember that we’re talking about human beings, even when they are behaving illegally,” the unit’s commander noted.

“I’m pleased that the officers both succeeded in behaving professionally as they carried out their mission, and behaving humanely towards the suspect,” he said.

“I’m happy that both the raid, and the brit, went well,” he concluded.

Walter White should have had such luck.