Smuggled cigarettes seized by Israeli customs and stored in a licensed warehouse under customs supervision in Ashdod vanished over the weekend, prompting parallel investigations by police and the Tax Authority. People familiar with the case called the incident highly unusual and said it raises many questions.
The cigarettes were being held at Terminal 207 in Ashdod, a private logistics center operating under customs oversight. The terminal’s chief executive and dominant partner is Gabi Knafo, who also serves as deputy mayor of Ashdod. A police source said, “Either this is a serious failure or a fraud,” adding that investigators are still at an early stage and must determine how someone entered a secured, sensitive compound, removed containers and emptied them with almost no trace. The complaint was filed only several days after the disappearance.
According to initial findings, the missing cigarettes were taken from two containers stored at the site. The current suspicion is that the containers were removed from the terminal, emptied, and then returned to their place. The value of the missing cigarettes is estimated at tens of millions of shekels.
A customs source said the warehouse is privately owned but authorized by customs to hold goods that have not yet been released into Israel, and legally the merchandise is still considered outside the country. The source described the event as “very unusual,” noting that the guards and workers at the site are employed by the private company that runs it. Customs said it is also examining its own oversight and approval procedures, and officials said it is possible someone inside the warehouse helped carry out the theft. The Tax Authority said the containers were stolen from a customs-supervised licensed warehouse and that its workers are not customs employees. Knafo declined to comment.
