Massive Cigarette Smuggling Ring Worth Over $50 Million Foiled at Ashdod Port
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Israeli Tax Authority investigators foiled a massive cigarette smuggling operation at Ashdod Port, seizing contraband worth over 200 million shekels. The cigarettes, declared as wheat flour, arrived from Egypt in multiple shipments. The bust is considered one of the largest ever, with ongoing investigations potentially uncovering more smuggled goods and involving multiple suspects.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli Tax Authority foiled a massive cigarette smuggling operation at Ashdod Port.
- Over 200 million shekels worth of cigarettes were seized in at least eight containers.
- The cigarettes arrived from Egypt falsely declared as wheat flour.
- This is considered one of the largest tobacco smuggling busts in Israel's history.
- Authorities suspect the cigarettes may have been intended for Gaza, potentially for terror financing.
Tax Authority investigators thwarted a major cigarette smuggling operation at the Ashdod Port on Tuesday, seizing at least eight containers filled with hundreds of thousands of cigarette packs valued at over 200 million shekels (approximately $54 million). This seizure is considered one of the largest tobacco smuggling busts ever in Israel.
The cigarettes arrived in three shipments from Egypt, declared as wheat flour across 48 containers. Customs inspection revealed that only some containers held flour, while others were packed with cigarettes intended for sale in Israel, evading significant tax payments. The potential tax revenue lost to the state is estimated in the tens of millions of shekels.
An investigation has been launched by the Ashdod Customs and Drugs Unit. Due to the exceptional scale of the smuggling, investigative actions began even before all containers were inspected, with further examinations ongoing and the possibility of more smuggled goods being discovered.
Multiple individuals are suspected of involvement, including the registered importer of the containers, whose arrest was extended by the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court. Gil Haziz, Manager of the Ashdod Port Customs, described the operation as the largest he has ever witnessed, potentially the biggest ever exposed by customs. He expressed concern that the smuggled cigarettes might have been destined for Gaza, potentially for money laundering and terror financing.
